Beaten Black and Pink
by Krabby Patties
Summary: /AU/ "Shh," Sasuke whispered in my ear. "It's me. Just me." He let go of me and I spun around. "Sasuke-kun, how can you be so calm!" I was screeching now. "You killed someone! I knew you were a yakuza, a murderer!" /Kinda Sky High based/ /SxS/
1. Rest in Me and I'll Comfort You, I Have

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Pairings: main ones - SasukeSakura, SakuraNeji onesided, NejiIno; by the end - SasukeSakura, maybe NarutoHinata

Chapter 1: Rest in Me and I'll Comfort You, I Have Lived and I Died for You  
(formerly known as Country-side-sky-without-stars Black)

The final bell rang and kids rushed out of school to catch buses or catch up with friends. Chatter buzzed through the air. They spoke of what classes and teachers they got, and exchanged schedules. Two freshman girls hugged each other just in front of the front doors, crying animatedly. They didn't manage to get into any of the same classes, poor girls.

"We'll hang out everyday after school," the shorter of the two girls said, wiping her runny nose with the back of her hand.

The taller girl nodded, beginning to cry again. "Yeah, and we can text all day long in all our classes. It'll be like we're together all the time." The other girl also began crying again and they fell into each other's arms.

I would be devastated if I didn't get into any of Neji's classes. I would head straight to guidance and ask for immediate changes. Or maybe I could get Neji to do that since he's part of such an important family. The Hyuugas can get anything to go their way.

I pulled a little package of tissues out of my almost empty backpack and dropped it into the small space between the two girls. Without bothering to look back and see their expressions, I walked down the steps.

There's a tree to the right of the school that takes about three minutes to walk to but is still on school grounds. It's a weird tree. Its trunk is short but its branches and leaves reach high up. It's easy to climb, too, because of its short trunk. At the end of the summer until winter, clumps of yellow fruit/seed/things grow on skinny, flimsy stems. I call them yellow cherries because that's what they look like. During the fall, the yellow cherries turn brown and dark scarlet and fall off the tree. In the spring, the tree blooms beautiful white flowers. The flowers overwhelm the new green leaves making the tree look white. There are petals everywhere, falling into everyone's hair. When summer starts coming around, the flowers die and the leaves are all that grow out of the branches.

We—my friends and I—call this tree Samuel Philip Omar Tuscany, or Spot. He used to be called Spots—Samuel Philip Omar Tuscany, Sr.—but we pretty much dropped the S. Everyone considers Spot to be "my" tree and I like the notion. I was the one who suggested that we meet there everyday after school.

I really love Spot. Because of him, I've made so many new friends since freshman year. A few of us have added new people to out group and teachers and other students know us as the Kids at the Tree.

I ran across the green lawn of my high school toward the open area Spot grew in. I figured I would be the first there just like all the other years but someone else was there before me.

I slowed down as I approached the tree. "Neji," I cried, excitedly. I set my backpack down on an area that wasn't dirt from all the afternoons we spent under that tree, stepping all over the grass, eventually killing it.

I stepped over to Neji who was leaning against Spot, silently reading some advanced nonfiction book. "Hey," I said, my voice shaking a little. I don't know why but I was excited to see him. Maybe it's because I didn't have my last two classes with him. I was lucky though; I had the other five classes with him and lunch, too. I could tell this was going to be a good year.

Neji looked up. His white eyes glowed in the sunlight that leaked through the leaves and yellow cherries. "Hey, Sakura," he said.

I hugged the tree. I hadn't seen it in a whole summer and I had to admit that I missed it.

"How was your first day of school," I asked.

He shrugged, watching me. "I'm content with my classes, for one thing." He went back to reading his book.

"What about a second thing," I urged, looking over his shoulder through a fork in the trunk at the book. It looked pretty boring but if it was something Neji read, then I liked it.

"I like the lunch I have; you're in it," he said in a tone no different from anything else he said.

I grinned and patted Neji's head trough the fork. "I like my first five classes and my lunch because you're in them, too."

I rounded the tree and kicked up some dirt. " I do wish we had first or second lunch instead of third. It's so gross, all the trash lazy kids leave."

Neji nodded, agreeing with me. I was about to ask him about his last two classes when Naruto ran over yelling his head off.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" He ran to me and pulled me up into a tight hug.

I pushed him away, annoyed. "Naruto, you just saw me last period…and at lunch, and second period."

Naruto put his hands behind his head and smiled his sheepish smile. "I know, Sakura, but I like the way your body feels. You've grown so much this summer!"

I clenched my teeth. "Naruto…" I glanced back at Neji. He was still reading that book, no expression change. I wanted him to be angry with Naruto for being perverted. Where was the chivalry? So I just did it myself: I punched Naruto square in the face.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto whined, holding his bloody nose.

Then the rest of the Kids at the Tree joined us. Hinata ran straight to Naruto to help him; Shikamaru sat down in the grass and looked up at the sky; Chouji waved at me, a potato chip in his hand; Kiba pounded Naruto on the back, laughing loudly; Shino muttered something about not being able to stay long and walked away; and Tenten started telling me about how disappointed she was finding out we weren't at the same lunch. I was so happy to see the whole gang back together.

And someone new approached: a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. I don't mind new recruits to the tree, but I usually don't bother introducing myself to them. So I just watched her approach Neji.

"Hi, Neji!" Her voice was high and loud.

Neji smiled a little, closed his book and actually put it away in his backpack. What is this?! He doesn't even do that for me but he does for some new girl?

The girl started on a long, long rant that spoke about everything wrong and different at our school compared to her old school. Neji listened to every word of it, nodding and smiling occasionally.

I walked over to the rest of the group when I was tired of looking at them.

"Who's that," Naruto asked.

I shrugged and Tenten answered, "That's Ino. She moved here from some…place."

"Is she a junior," Chouji asked.

"I'm pretty sure," Tenten answered again, nodding.

"She looks like a slut. Neji shouldn't be talking to her," I said, turning and looking at the two. I wished Neji would smile at me like that.

"Sakura's jealous," Shikamaru's dull voice sang. Naruto, Chouji, Kiba, and Tenten laughed. I was really thankful to Hinata at the moment, who stayed silent.

"I am not," I yelled back at Shikamaru. "I mean, look at her!" I pointed at Ino. "Look at how short that skirt is. That's gross. No one wants to look at 97 percent of her legs."

"I do," said Shikamaru. Naruto and Kiba laughed, and reward Shikamaru with a round of high-fives.

"I hate you guys," I said. The boys laughed again, so I sat down in the grass next to my backpack, facing away from everyone and toward the sidewalk down the hill.

Two freshman girls, I could just tell, walked slowly down the sidewalk, away from the school. They giggled uncontrollably and looked behind them periodically, taking turns. When they walked out of my view, hidden behind other trees, I then saw exactly what the source of those two girls' madness was: Uchiha Sasuke.

He was the god of Fourth Hokage Memorial High School. I didn't know a girl alive in my school, or even all of Konoha, who didn't know or like Sasuke. Even I had to admit he was amazingly amazing looking. Sure, that's redundant but Sasuke's beauty was exponentially greater than any other man's on Earth. Just about the only person to rival Sasuke's beauty was Neji, but Neji's personality beat Sasuke's tenfold. Sasuke was an extreme jerk. I'd never heard him say a nice thing.

But…I almost couldn't blame Sasuke. His beloved brother destroyed their family. The man rounded up every gun he could get his hands on (which happened to be a lot. He had a butt-load of money.) and obliterated the Uchihas. Itachi was still on the loose and it scared the crap out of a lot of people in Konoha. I heard that the police, to see if they can squeeze any more information out of him, regularly questioned Sasuke. What more was there to squeeze? Did they think Sasuke was hiding vital information? I doubt that. If my brother killed my parents and grandparents I'd tell the police absolutely everything I knew.

I watched Sasuke walk down the sidewalk. His stride was long and almost graceful. He had and messenger bag on his shoulder, the strap crossing of his chest, ruining the collar of his black polo. His hair looked fabulous in the sun, shiny blue highlights becoming more prominent.

And then I started wondering, why was the richest person in all of Konoha _walking_ home? Where was the shiny limo? (Oh, I knew Sasuke never rode in a limo home from school, but it was nice to think about.)

Sasuke's gait slowed down and he came to a stop. I wondered what he was doing until he pulled a cell phone out his pocket (a new one from the last one I'd seen him use) and pressed a button on the side. He checked the time and put the phone away.

Then he looked up the hill straight at me. The breath caught in my throat and my stomach flipped. He was looking _straight at me_.

His eyes were the opposite of Neji's: country-side-sky-without-stars black. They were so beautiful. And so lonely.

Sasuke's mouth was in sad frown, different from the usual scowl or smirk or indifferent frown. His lovely eyebrows furrowed together like he was thinking hard. And he looked so lonely. He had probably noticed the group of laughing friends behind me and was jealous. (I had never seen Sasuke with a friend. He was such a jerk to everyone. I didn't think anyone wanted to be around him…except for the obvious fangirl.)

But I sat out of the group, alone like Sasuke. And for a moment we were in our own little world: Alone Anonymous.

He took a step the hill, toward us, and I had no doubt he would come up and stand with us just to tell himself he wasn't alone anymore. That was how lonely he looked.

A car pulled over behind him and he looked away. It wasn't a limo but a black Rolls Royce. Still nice. After opening the back door, he got in. The car glided away down the street and Sasuke never took one look back at me or the Kids at the Tree.

* * *

A.N: You've got to bear with me. There will be plently SasuSaku fluff soon.

So, I was planning on having this based in America, but Lee Rock sounds a little wierd. Same with Mr. Hatake. I decided that this would be an extreme AU, sort of a world where American, Japanese, and Naruto-nese cultures are combined. You'll see what I mean, hopefully.

If you find some sort of grammatical error, TELL ME. I'm talking everything: misspellings, missing commas, the whole shabang. I love correcting grammar, but it doesn't seem so good if my own grammar is bad.

I typed this while listening to Lucky Number Slevin. Yes, that is a movie, a good one at that. And it's still good only listening to the audio of it; there are so many amazing quotes.

REVIEW.

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 2 Preview:

I Know You, I Walked With You Once Upon A Dream

"So," I said, "who's that Ino girl?" I tried to sound like I didn't really care.

"Oh, her..." Neji paused and I figure he was deciding on a good way to describe her without letting me know his opinion of her. "She's in my last two classes: physics and journalism."

"Oh...I wish I took physics instead of Vertebrate Anatomy. Maybe we could have been in the same class."

"Five is enough."

_Edited 01.29.09_


	2. I Know You, I Walked With You Once Upon

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 2: I Know You, I Walked With You Once Upon A Dream  
(formerly known as The Hall Pass)

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and I looked up. It was Neji. He was squatted down next to me. My stomach did another somersault when I saw how close we were.

"Sakura," he said, "I'm heading home now."

"Oh!" I fumbled with my backpack and scrambled to stand up. He stood up beside me very neatly. I grinned, ready to leave.

Neji shook his head. "I'm walking Ino home."

I looked around Neji and saw Ino. She was smiling widely and my grin vanished. "But you usually walk me home," I whined. I sounded like such a baby.

"Not today, Sakura," he said like he was a father speaking to his daughter who had asked to go to the amusement park every day that week.

I wanted to argue but all that I managed to say was, "Oh."

Neji's tone was the same the entire time. "Bye, Sakura. I'll call you later." He walked down the hill and Ino followed. She waved at me and smiled as if she had won the prize I really wanted.

"Bye," I tried to say, but I don't think it came out.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto sang. "I'll walk you home!"

I appreciated the thought, but I didn't want to spend fifteen to twenty minutes listening to Naruto rant about ramen or something. So, I just shook my head and walked down the hill.

I suppose I looked all emo and sad because I heard Tenten yell: "I love you, Sakura!"

The rest of the Kids at the Tree started yelling that to me, too. I turned and smiled. I swear, those kids are the best friends a girl-who's-in-love-with-her-best-friend-and-he-loves-some-other-girl-who-looks-like-she's-the-slut-in-some-teenage-drama-flick could have.

.ZOMG.

Neji called me in the middle of dinner. My mom was pretty pissed (She's obsessed with us all getting together for a home cooked meal without interruptions.) and my dad couldn't have cared less. My little brother kept on eating, watching me and my mom, hoping there wasn't going to be an argument.

The moment I announced that it was Neji, my mom's frown turned to a wide smile and my dad leaned forward.

"Well," Mom said, "go answer it! Don't leave him waiting."

Dad pointed a fork at me. "And don't forget to tell him that I'm still on for that golfing trip this weekend."

I nodded, got out of my seat and rushed into the living room where I settled on the couch.

"Hi," I happily answered.

"Hey, it's Neji."

"I know."

It was like he didn't trust caller ID or technology in general to tell me who was calling. I think he just didn't trust _me_ enough to check who it was.

"Yeah…" he muttered in a tone that prompted me to speak more.

"So," I said, "who's that Ino girl?" I tried to sound like I didn't really care.

"Oh, her..." He paused and I figure he was deciding on a good way to describe her without letting me know his opinion of her. "She's in my last two classes: physics and journalism."

"Oh...I wish I took physics instead of Vertebrate Anatomy. Maybe we could have been in the same class."

"Five is enough."

Those words hit me hard. I stopped breathing and I thought about what he said. I expected him to agree with me. I _wanted_ him to. He didn't like being around me all the time, that was the only explanation. I knew I was annoying, but we had been friends forever; I figured he was used to me.

"Neji," I said trying to keep my voice from shaking, "I gotta go. I was in the middle of dinner." I had forgotten all about the golf trip.

"Hmm…okay."

"So, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

He didn't answer and the call ended. Neji never said bye.

At the dinner table, Daisuke, my little brother, was telling our parents about some project his class did in school. I stood by my chair for a moment and then picked up my plate.

"I'm not hungry anymore," I muttered, carrying the plate to the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" I heard my mom call.

I didn't answer and headed upstairs to my room. I knew I was taking it all out of proportion, but I didn't care. I was just really disappointed. The only guys that could like me, I thought, were a hyperactive idiot named Naruto and a bushy-browed dork named Lee.

And I thought I had grown into my forehead.

.ZOMG.

"Please pay attention to a few announcements. Today is September, uh, eighth—excuse me—seventh. And today is, uh, a B day. So—what is it?—_second_ period will be long today.

"Soccer tryouts are today at two-thirty." There was a long shaky "um" and a few people laughed, me included.

The announcement continued to speak of topics I already knew about, topics we've all heard for the last two years: stuff about forms that needed signing, the schedule, which lunch to go to, etc. I pulled out a magazine and flipped through it, no longer listening. There was an article on good medical schools (Pretty random for a media and entertainment magazine.) and I stopped to read it.

Under the subheading for the College of Medicine at the Chihaya University, there was a picture of a really good-looking guy, sitting in a cozy looking classroom—what a paradox. He had dark blue eyes that were dull—they didn't really shine or sparkle—and spiky black hair with blue highlights where the light shone. His black eyebrows were perfectly set on his forehead. His smile was beautiful. It was perfect: not too many perfectly aligned white teeth were showing and not too little. That smile made me wonder, was he really a happy person or was that smile just an acting smile, one he only used for his career and the camera? Was he truly happy? Did he enjoy being a model? I started making up a sob story for the man about how uncontent he was and about the irony of him posing as a happy college student.

"That guy looks like Uchiha."

I lifted my head to the right and saw Neji leaning out of his desk to look at my magazine.

I put my finger on the picture of the hot guy. "This one?"

Neji nodded.

"Uchiha Sasuke," I asked.

Neji nodded again.

I laughed. "No way. Sasuke has black eyes; this guy has blue. And I can't imagine Sasuke smiling like this."

Neji shrugged and picked up the few notebooks he had when the bell rang. As we headed out the door, Sasuke—speak of the devil—walked to Kakashi-sensei's desk, which was near by.

"Kakashi," Sasuke said in a monotone as, what I assumed, a greeting.

The silver-haired English teacher's visible eye closed. His smile was hidden underneath the cloth that covered the lower half of his face. "Yo."

I really wanted to know what they were going to talk about so I did the first thing that came to mind: I dropped my notebooks, making sure the folder with all my millions of forms fell upside down. Papers scattered everywhere.

"Oh, crap," I said a little too loudly. I noticed Sasuke and Kakashi look at me and then go back to speaking quietly.

Neji squatted down to help me. "No. It's okay," I told him. "I got it. I'll see you next period." He nodded and left.

I took my time picking up those papers. Eventually my legs started hurting from squatting so I just sat down on the dirty floor. After collecting the papers I could reach from my seat, I began to organize them by the period I got them from. Kids from Kakashi-sensei's second period began filing in. They walked around me to their seats, whispering. A few girls collected the papers that I didn't pick up yet and handed them to me. I smiled at them, muttered my thank yous, and piled the papers on the floor, organizing them in with the ones I already started on. And the whole time I listened carefully to Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei.

"Are you coming to school tomorrow," Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied.

"Really?" Kakashi sounded surprised. "I thought you were meeting with the Simmaranos."

"Not anymore. They cancelled on me. Thought I'd tell you."

Kakashi laughed and then said in a voice a bit lower, "Those guys are big. They can do whatever they want. Make sure not to piss them off."

"Hn."

The bell rang to signal the beginning of second period, and Kakashi and Sasuke stopped speaking. I had finally finished organizing the papers so I stuffed them back in the folder. I quickly jumped up and awkwardly turned to face Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. They were both staring at me. Their expressions made me feel so inferior, as if I was so _stupid_ for spending more than five minutes picking up papers. Kakashi smiled at me like the situation was funny, and at the time I definitely didn't think it was. Sasuke somewhat smirked at me. He was beautiful, a god, but I wanted to hit him in gut and run away down the hallway. I was so embarrassed.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei?" My voice shook like was going to cry and Sasuke's smirk faded. "Can I have a pass to my next class because I'm late?"

Kakashi's smile didn't waver. "Sure, Sakura." He stuck a bookmark into that gross orange book, Make Out Paradise, to replace his finger and opened up all the drawers of his desk. He briefly searched through them and stood up straight, closing the drawers with his thighs and knees.

"I can't find my passes right now," Kakashi-sensei told me, walking around to Sasuke's and my side of the desk. "So just use Sasuke." Kakashi's eye closed again as he pushed Sasuke toward me.

I stepped back because the space between Sasuke and I was small enough to make me feel like I was sinning—Sasuke being a god and all. The god shrugged away from Kakashi's hold on his shoulder.

"Kakashi," Sasuke called in a voice that almost growled, "I need to get to my own class."

Kakashi patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Just walk Sakura-chan to class. You'll only be a few minutes later than normal."

Sasuke didn't answer. He just walked past me and out the door.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," I said over the yells of love, adoration, and phone numbers to Sasuke from Kakashi's second period. The teacher nodded and I followed Sasuke.

"So it's the second day of school and I don't feel like teaching to anything yet. Just sit in your desks and don't ask me to do _anything_. Chouji, stop eating…" I heard before I closed the door behind me.

Sasuke was standing in the middle of the hallway, his arms folded across the chest of a dark blue designer polo, waiting for me. When I saw him standing like that, like the god everyone thought he was, I thought back to the conversation he had with Kakashi-sensei.

"_I thought you were meeting with the Simmaranos_."

Simmarano, I thought, that's an Italian name.

"_Not anymore. They cancelled on me_…"

What was Sasuke going to do with these Italian guys?

"_Those guys are big. They can do whatever they want. Make sure not to piss them off_."

What are these Italian guys big in? Physical size? Politics? Drug dealing? Gangs? What have they done in the past to make Kakashi-sensei warn Sasuke about them?

"Haruno."

I snapped out of my thinking and looked at Sasuke.

"Where's your next class," he asked.

"History. Room 408," I replied.

Sasuke nodded once and started walking toward the history wing. I didn't notice until a few seconds later and jogged to catch up with him. We walked in silence for a while. I had to walk faster that normal to keep up with Sasuke's long strides.

I looked at Sasuke when he suddenly made a noise: "Hn." He was smirking.

He continued: "Your attempt to listen to Kakashi's and my conversation was horrible. Scattering papers on the floor to stay after class," he scoffed. "You could do better, Haruno."

I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but I smiled away. Sasuke, of course, didn't smile back at me and turned his head away,

"Hn," he muttered again. That sent me back into thinking about that conversation.

"_Those guys are big. They can do whatever they want. Make sure not to piss them off_."

"_Hn_."

What sort of big Italian guys do whatever they want, I asked myself. What sort of big Italian guys strike fear into Kakashi-sensei, a nonchalant man who seemed to have reached nirvana?

The answer hit me so fast and so hard: the Italian Mafia.

I gasped a little and I noticed Sasuke look at me out of the corner of his eye. I looked at him as he looked away.

What business did Sasuke have with the Italian Mafia? Sasuke, the boy who had no friends, who longed for companionship, who was a jerk to everyone he came in contact with, who could be used as a hall pass, whose brother became a criminal, who wanted revenge, who lived alone, who had no one to look after him, who had time to kill—maybe literally.

We had come to my history class and Sasuke reached out to open the door.

"Sasuke, are you part of the Yakuza?"

* * *

A.N: Hello!

Ah... I was a little disappointed finding that I got no reviews. But I'm okay; a few of you added this to your favorites and alert lists! Thank you!

By the way, on my profile I put the date of when I'm going to update. So when you're wondering, "When the heck is the next chapter coming out?!" go there and see.

Also, I edited the last chapter. They're minor edits, like I added -chan to the end of Sakura's name when Naruto speaks to her. I forgot all about that.

Aaand... I watched episode 109 again. Makes me cry everytime.

REVIEW.

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 3 Preview:

In My Field of Paper Flowers

"Promise not to tell anyone?" I asked.

They nodded vigorously.

"Not a soul?"

They nodded again.

"Promise not to tell the police?"

"We promise," they, even Shino, said in unison. I could just imagine what was going through their minds:

_What did Sasuke do to Sakura? Who did Sasuke kill? Who did Sakura _help _Sasuke kill? Did Sakura finally get rid of Lee? _

_Edited 01.29.09_


	3. In My Field of Paper Flowers

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 3: In My Field of Paper Flowers  
(formerly known as Paper Flowers)

The black-haired god opened the door wide and suddenly began laughing loudly. I jumped a little and made a strange noise; it was so sudden. It was scary hearing him laugh. Not because it was an ugly, evil laugh—it was actually really nice—but because I don't think anyone had ever heard Sasuke laugh. EVER.

I had expected him to become all defensive, or to shove me into the lockers behind us. He would curl his fingers around my neck and kill me, silencing me from ever telling anyone his secret.

He clutched his side after laughing for a full minute. "Is that what you got out of the conversation I had with Kakashi?"

I looked out into the classroom from where we stood just inside the doorway. _Everyone_ was staring Sasuke and me, undoubtedly as amazed as I was that Sasuke just laughed. I nodded to Sasuke and he began laughing again, walking toward the teacher, whose eyes were wide. I timidly followed Sasuke, making sure not to look at Neji and my other friends in the back corner.

"Why are you here, Sasuke," Iruka-sensei asked. "And why are you late, Sakura?"

"She was with me," Sasuke said before I could answer. Iruka-senei nodded and erased the A for absent out of his open grade book.

I stared at Sasuke. Who was this kid, who could vouch out of punishment and convince teachers of anything?

"Well, Sakura, I was just giving out history books," Iruka told me. "Go take a seat." I turned, searching for an open seat.

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled waving his arms. "Over here!" He pointed to the empty seat in front of him.

Sasuke unexpectedly leaned over and asked me, "Is that dobe your boyfriend?"

It was my turn to laugh. "Hell no!"

He smirked at me and left the classroom. I took the seat in front of Naruto, my heart beating wildly and my face hot. Neji, who was next to me, Hinata, who was in front of me, Kiba, who was behind Neji, and Shino, who was in front of Neji, all stared at me. They were waiting for me to tell them what I was doing with Sasuke. I smiled at them, each one in turn, trying to make up and great, believable story. Nothing came to mind.

I looked around the classroom like I was making sure no one was looking or listening. People were still staring at me and whispering. Stupid jealous fangirls. I leaned in, motioning for the others to lean in, too. They quickly followed.

"Promise not to tell anyone?" I asked.

They nodded vigorously.

"Not a soul?"

They nodded again.

"Promise not to tell the police?"

"We promise," they, even Shino, said in unison. I could just imagine what was going through their minds:

_What did Sasuke do to Sakura? Who did Sasuke kill? Who did Sakura _help _Sasuke kill? Did Sakura finally get rid of Lee?_

I smiled and then became completely serious. "Sasuke is part of the Yakuza." I realized that that didn't explain where I was or what I was doing with Sasuke, but they were too caught up in the whole Yakuza thing to realize it.

"What?" Naruto screamed.

"Naruto," Iruka-sensei called, "Settle down."

"Sakura, how do you know this," Shino asked after a moment.

"I heard him talk about it," I told Shino.

"It makes sense, I suppose," Neji muttered. He was unconsciously writing the word Yakuza on the top of a piece of notebook paper. "Sasuke wants revenge on his brother. Everyone knows that. What is a better way than to get weapon-wielding men to back you up?"

I was about to tell Neji that that was exactly what I thought when Iruka-sensei called me up. He handed me a history book from the top of a large stack.

"What's the number," he asked.

I opened the book and on the inside of the cover 14-04 was written in big black marker. I told Iruka-sensei the number and sat down again.

"Sakura, you're in danger," Neji told me as soon as I sat down. Kiba pantomimed shooting me with a gun.

I didn't believe it. "What?"

Iruka-sensei called Hinata up next. As she stood up, she turned and gave me a look that said Sorry a million times. Neji was next and then Kiba. Once they had all sat down, Neji began again. "If Sasuke knows you know, he is going to have to get rid of you." Naruto pantomimed violently choking me and Kiba laughed.

Neji was right but I didn't want them worrying about me. "Sasuke doesn't know."

Naruto hugged me around the neck. "Yay! Sakura-chan's going to live!"

I smiled.

.ZOMG.

"And now, an announcement from Sabaku Temari , the, uh, president of the new Homecoming Committee."

There was static over the intercom and we all heard the familiar voice of Temari. "Hello students of Fourth Hokage Memorial High School! On October 1st—that's three weeks away; a Friday—there will be the first ever Homecoming Dance!"

There were a few cheers in the class and I smiled. This was exciting.

"Tickets go on sale today at all lunches. Three dollars off all couples!"

I looked around. Everyone was whispering to each other, probably discussing who they would take, who they hoped would ask them, or new tactics on how to get Sasuke to go with them.

"Anyone who wants to join the Homecoming Committee is welcome to!" Temari continued happily. "We'll be meeting in room 101 after school today. We need a lot of people and your help is appreciated!" Her voice suddenly became serious and I could tell it was fake. "I expect to see every single one of you at the dance." And that was it.

The talking got louder and more passionate. This Homecoming Dance was big news. Usually all we had was a homecoming football game and later a soccer game. The Homecoming Games never called a good turnout, but the soccer game attracted a lot of girls who went to watch Sasuke play. I have to admit, I was one of them.

All discussion ended when someone burst into the room.

"Sakura, my most youthful blossom, allow me to be the first of these youthful men to ask you to the exuberant Homecoming Dance!"

Oh.

My.

God.

It was _obviously _Rock Lee. He was in a skin-tight track shirt and bright green spandex leggings. Could he wear anything more disgusting to look at?

I put my head on my desk and groaned. Why? _Why_?

Lee walked to me and got down on one knee. Behind me, Naruto snickered. I lifted my head and looked at Lee, not wanting to be rude.

"Oh, my flower, you have bloomed to wonderfully this summer! The sun does wonders to your beauty," Lee shouted.

"Lee," I said softly, aware of everyone's eyes on us, "you don't need to yell."

"I'm sorry, Sakura-san," he whispered—still very loud. "So, what is your answer? Will you be my lovely date?"

I looked around, avoiding Lee's beady eyes. "Well, um… The thing is…uh…"

Lee grabbed a sheet of computer paper off the desk of the girl next to me ("HEY!") and began folding it into a million different shapes. The end product was a lovely origami rose. Lee slowly and gently handed it to me.

I took it, feeling bad that I was about to turn Lee down. "Lee…" I started slowly.

He grabbed a few more sheets of paper from the girl ("WHAT THE HELL?") and began the process again. He handed me a bouquet of roses to go along with my other rose.

I looked at the roses, twirling them in my hands. "Oh, Lee, I—"

"Neji already asked you, didn't he?" Lee's voice was robotic. He stared unblinking at the classroom behind me. "He beat me. I don't know how, but he beat me."

I knew what the outcome of this was and I didn't want it to happen. "Lee, no, I—"

Lee held a fist before him, a new determined look in his eye. "Neji must have youthfully run ten times as fast as I did. Or he must have already known about this dance and asked you, my cherry blossom, in another class!" He stood up and held the fist above him.

"Oh, geez, Lee, no—"

"I will run around the track 200 times before four o'clock—"

"No! You don't—"

"—and if I can't do that, I will play Sakura's Theme on the piano 50 times perfectly!"

I sighed. Nothing could stop a determined Rock Lee.

"Neji is formidable enough to be called my rival. One day, I shall win Sakura's love and beat him!" He winked at me—I cringed—and left the classroom, yelling for Gai-sensei.

Naruto burst out laughing behind me. "Bushy-Brows is such a loser!"

I sighed again and placed my forehead on the desk, praying for the school day to finally end.

* * *

A.N: Aahh.. That Lee...

Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate it! Continue giving me your input!

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 4 Preview:

The Handsome Prince, the Ugly Witch, and the Dark Blue Chariot:

Could it be that he was going to ask me to the dance?

He looked away and then his gaze returned to my face. "I think that we—"

_OH MY GOD! _

"—should go—"

Now, this was it! He was going to ask me to the dance!

((A.N: Oh ho ho ho...who is this "he"?))

_Edited 06.17.10 - Thank you, sakurabloomsasuke!_


	4. Even If You’re Not With Me, I’m With You

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 4: Even If You're Not With Me, I'm With You  
(formerly known as The Handsome Prince, the Ugly Witch, and the Dark Blue Chariot)

"Hey! Hey, Sakura!"

I closed my locker and turned. Morino Idate was rushing over to meet me. Idate was the best runner on cross-country team, so he got here pretty fast. I smiled and slung my backpack on one shoulder. A random strap swung wildly at my sudden action and hit the person behind me on the chest.

I spun. "Oh, I'm really sorry—" It was Neji. I yelled his name in surprise.

"What?" he muttered.

"I didn't know you were here. I thought you would be waiting at the tree."

"Well, I'm here. And I can't believe you didn't notice me." He motioned to our lockers, which were right next to each other.

"Oh." I flushed with embarrassment as Idate laughed.

"Hey, uh, Sakura?" I turned my attention to Idate.

"Yep?" Neji began walking toward the stairs and I followed him, making sure Idate was close by. Idate smiled nervously and I giggled. "Idate, what?" I pleasantly urged when he didn't continue.

When we reached stairs, he went ahead and held the door open for me. Then out in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, he stopped. "Sakura, do you have a date for the dance yet?" He glanced at Neji and I held back a grin. _CHYEAH!_ _He thinks I'm going with Neji!_

"No," I answered automatically.

"Will you go with me?"

Tch. I should have expected this.

I looked away because I didn't want Idate to see the emotions on my face. I stared at Neji's shoes. I didn't recognize the exact type, but I knew they were Adidas and were most likely expensive. I gritted my teeth. I wished the owner of those shoes would ask me to the dance. More than anything at the time.

"Idate, you're a senior; there are plenty of great senior girls who would love to go with you." I sighed and gave him an apologetic look. "Plus, it would be kind of awkward, us going together."

He exhaled deeply and smiled sadly. "Yeah, you're right. Well, see you later, Sakura, Neji." He turned and headed for the other end of the hallway.

"Bye," I called.

I walked beside Neji to an exit on one side of the school that gave quicker access to the hill the tree was on. I clenched my fists in anticipation. I wanted Neji to ask me to the dance!

On the way to the door, Sasuke passed us, walking briskly. He stopped and glared at Neji.

"Uchiha."

"Hyuuga."

What was up with those guys and calling each other by their last names?

I could feel the tension in the air. It was greater than anything I had ever felt. It seemed like they kept from leaping at each other and fighting because I was there. The tension kept building and I couldn't breathe. I finally gasped for air loudly and they both stopped to look at me.

"What's wrong," Sasuke asked, surprising me. Neji began to glare at him again.

"Nothing," I quickly said, grabbing Neji's forearm and pulling him out the door. Sasuke didn't follow us and I assumed he was heading for the front door.

"Sakura," Neji called softly at the tree.

I perked up, my eyes wide. This was it! Finally! Neji was going to ask me to the dance!

He chuckled. "I heard Lee ran into your seventh period class and exclaimed his love for you." Did I hear a hint of jealousy? Hah…not at all.

I nodded, my face becoming dark with nonexistent shadows. That was definitely not a dance-date invitation. "Where did you hear that?"

"Kids in your class were talking about it in the hallway."

"Oh." I looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, that's true. He's crazy, that Lee."

"So did you say yes," he asked, shifting his position next to me against the tree.

I raised a questioning eyebrow. "To what?"

"To Lee. …When he asked you to the dance," he added when my expression didn't change.

"No way!" I wondered why he was asking. Could it be that he was going to ask me to the dance?!

He looked away and then his gaze returned to my face. "So, I think that we—"

_OH MY GOD! _

"—should go—"

Now, this was it! He was going to ask me to the dance!

"—out for ramen Friday night."

I swallowed. This was torture.

"Uh…y-yeah!" I stuttered. "That's a great idea. We haven't been to Ichiraku in a long time." I could see Naruto running over in the distance, yelling my name, with some of the others following. I ignored Naruto and looked at Neji.

Neji nodded. "So, eight o'clock?"

"Sure." And then I realized he didn't intend on asking anyone else to join us. This wasn't a date; Neji and I always went to Ichiraku by ourselves. But this was it! Neji was going to ask me to the dance on Friday! And if he didn't, _I_ would ask _him_!

"SAKURA-CHAN! SAKURA-CHAN!"

I rolled my eyes and turned to Naruto and the others who had finally reached us. "What?" I snapped.

His face was bright red as he looked down. "I was wondering if…well, if you would go to the dance with me?"

My third invite today. I was on a roll. I glanced at Neji; but the fourth time's a charm.

I paused for a moment, hating the wave of guilt that swept through me. Hinata had horror written all over her face. That was then replaced by extreme anguish. I couldn't begin to comprehend what was probably going through her head. She had been in love with Naruto since middle school and everyone knew it except him.

"Naruto, I think you should ask Hinata," I said.

"Did someone already ask you?" Did Neji notice Naruto's eyes flicker in his direction?

"No," I assured him. "You should ask her anyway."

Something in my expression must have convinced him because he said, "Fine," and walked over to Hinata. I couldn't hear what they were saying but I saw Hinata nod quickly, her face apple-red, and Kiba and Shino glare at Naruto. At least, I thought Shino was glaring. What was up with those Elton John sunglasses?

Tenten stood near Neji, as if she was waiting for something. Shikamaru was lying on his stomach in the grass, sleeping. Chouji was sitting next to Shikamaru, describing to him in detail how pitiful the school lunch was today. Everyone was here except…Ino. The sun suddenly shone brighter as if it reflected my attitude.

I watched a dark-blue SUV pull over into the exact spot Sasuke's Rolls Royce from yesterday pulled over in. Just thinking about Sasuke sent a little pang through my stomach. I acknowledged it as indigestion. Ino stepped out of the passenger side and rushed up the hill. She looked absolutely perfect as always: flawless skin and perfect hair. As she approached, I noticed Neji straighten up and pull on his backpack.

"Neji!" she said when she reached us. "I got my dad to give us a ride to my house." She smirked at me for a moment and then continued to speak to Neji. "Come on, let's go."

Neji looked at me and Ino immediately retorted. "There's no room in the car for her," she snapped. "Let's go."

My handsome prince followed the ugly witch down the hill toward the dark blue chariot. I bet there was tons of room for me in that environmental hazard!

.ZOMG.

Only on the other side of the school on my way home, four girls, who stepped in front of me, stopped me from walking any further. They had been standing against the stonewall to my left. I knew one as Karin; you couldn't miss that hair-do she claimed Keira Knightly wore once to the Grammys, thus it was deemed (by Karin) fashionable: half of Karin's hair was combed down nice and straight, the other half was not straightened and the ends of the layers stuck out. She wore designer glasses that probably cost a fortune.

Another one I knew was Ami. She went to my elementary school and bullied me when I was little, saying stuff about my forehead and hair color. Boy, did I hate her. I didn't recognize the other two girls, but I did recognize that all four of them were dressed in obscenely expensive and slutty clothes and were all obsessed with Sasuke. I could just picture Ino standing with them…if she wasn't busy stealing Neji from me!

So I knew what was coming. They were going to kill me for getting Sasuke to laugh—for speaking to him! Ugh, I hate fangirls.

"Hey, Sakura," Karin said, her voice surprisingly friendly.

"Hi, guys," I said, my voice unsurprisingly not.

"What's up," Ami asked me.

I hated that question. The answer is always—"Nothing," I replied.

"Wow, Sakura…" Karin touched the hem of my shirt. "This shirt is wicked cute! Where did you get it?!"

I looked down at my shirt. It was black with short-sleeves. There was a faded gray design of twisty tree branches on the right side and on the right side of my chest, there was a big butterfly with a splash of colors in its wings.

"I got it at Pac Sun," I said looking back up at Karin. I didn't go there much; I actually bought this shirt on my second and last trip there.

"No way! It's wicked cute," she repeated. Ami and the others agreed.

"Thanks," I muttered. I couldn't believe how friendly they were being. There wasn't a hint of hostility in their tones at all.

"So, how did you get Sasuke to laugh like that this morning," Karin asked in an off-hand tone. I had forgotten she was in my history class. But of course this was what they had stopped me for, to inquire jealously about their precious Sasuke-kun.

I shrugged. "I really don't know."

"Well, what did you say to him?" Ami urged. I wondered why the other girls hardly ever talked.

I tried to walk around them. They were bugging me now. I knew their friendliness was all a façade. They stepped in front of me, stopping me again.

"Sakura, what were you talking to Sasuke about," Karin asked forcefully. Her sickly sweet attitude had vanished.

"I asked him if he masturbates," I said sarcastically.

All four girls gasped. The two girls I didn't know whipped out cell phones and began calling other members of the fanclub. They started yelling into their phones about what I had said. I finally got the chance to walk passed them and did so quickly.

"Sakura," Karin called, "stay away from Sasuke!"

"Yeah, you bitch," Ami screamed after her.

.ZOMG.

I stepped inside the small hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Ichiraku Ramen on Friday night. The familiar smell of a thousand spices hit my nose forcefully. I breathed deeply, enjoying the beating. This was Naruto's and my absolute favorite place to eat, but Naruto was the one who discovered it. Naruto knew every single person who worked here, especially the chef/owner, and there were several framed pictures of him with various staff on the walls.

Most of the Kids at the Tree came here but not as often as Naruto, Neji, and me. I knew one of the waitresses very well—there were only two—and had met the chef twice.

"Sakura-chan!" Hiyono, the waitress I knew, greeted me. I was glad it was her.

I beamed. "Hey, Hiyono. How are you?"

Hiyono led me to my usual seat and set down the utensils wrapped tightly in a white napkin. "You here by yourself tonight," she asked as I sat down.

"Nope, Neji should be coming soon."

"Oh, that hunk?" She set placed another set of utensils on the table and I giggled. "Want some water until he gets here?"

I nodded and she left.

Two hours later, I still sat at my table and there was still an empty seat in front of me.

* * *

A.N: Hello! Well, this chapter was posted early. I had scheduled to update on Tuesday, 12.18.07 because I wasn't supposed to be home today. I'm supposed to be in Tennessee right now having a ball with the family I only get to see once a year. But the stupid snow storms hit my state, Massachusetts, hard so the roads were unsafe for travel. My mom had to walk home from work and people were just up and leaving their cars in the middle of the road. I officially HATE snow.

Thank you for reading. I'm excited for the next chapter. It's filled with a hoopla of SasuSaku moments! Finally!

By the way, I changed the pairings of this story. It's not going to end up with ShikaIno and NejiTen because I mainly want to focus on Sasuke and Sakura. I realized that this story was going to ship ShikaIno and NejiTen only because it ships Sasuke and Sakura. I'm keeping the Naruto and Hinata shipy-ness though. Sorry if that causes any problems...

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Pac Sun.

* * *

Chapter 5 Preview:

Come, Break Me Down, Bury Me Bury Me

I chuckled and ended our whispering fest. "I was, uh, _supposed_ to be meeting Neji here but, um… Do you want to sit down?"

Sasuke looked at the neon red clock hanging on the wall behind him. "I think I can spare a minute." He gracefully stole Neji's chair and unexpectedly pulled a small package of matches out of a pocket. He lit the dark red candle that sat in between us and a strong aroma of cinnamon caressed our senses.

I smiled at Sasuke. The corners of his mouth twitched upward and he looked at me from under his dark eyelashes. I swallowed. How could someone so beautiful exist?

_Edited 01.29.09_


	5. Come, Break Me Down, Bury Me Bury Me

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 5: Come, Break Me Down, Bury Me, Bury Me  
(formerly known as Lucky Numbers)

_He's not coming._

.ZOMG.

_He got caught up with something._

.ZOMG.

_He hates me._

.ZOMG.

_There was an emergency._

.ZOMG.

_Ino kept him from leaving._

.ZOMG.

_He forgot about coming here._

.ZOMG.

_He forgot about me._

.ZOMG.

_He _will_ come._

.ZOMG.

_He's coming._

.ZOMG.

"Uh, I'll give him a few more minutes."

Hiyono rolled her eyes and stuffed the pad and paper impatiently into her apron pocket. She walked into the kitchen without saying anything to me. I wondered what was up with the sudden change in attitude.

I stared at the swinging door even after I couldn't see her anymore and sighed. I was so frustrated. Why wasn't Neji there? Why was _I_ there?

Sitting there for over two hours, I had drank seven glasses of water, two cups of tea, and eaten a package of sugar. This had forced me to get up and use the bathroom twice. And then I would sit down and wait.

My eyes watered, but I refused to let the tears fall. I couldn't hold back and a loud sob coughed out as a tall boy passed by. I hadn't even realized anyone was here with me.

The boy stopped and turned. I could see his face clearly now in the light of the red paper lantern that hung overhead. It was Sasuke. I got that weird feeling in my stomach again. Sasuke definitely wasn't as good as Neji, but he was _someone_ at least. I had been alone in there for far too long.

"Hey," I said very simply. I was proud that my voice didn't shake.

He turned fully now and scrutinized my face. "Hey," he said, his voice edged with confusion.

"We go to school together." I pulled my hood down, realizing that it was not contributing to helping him recognize me, which he indefinitely would now—how many people on earth have pink hair? Earlier, I had put my hood up incase I actually did start crying. I didn't want Hiyono or anyone to notice.

Sasuke's face now held a look of recognition. "You're Hyuuga's friend."

"Yeah," I drawled. It was so odd for him to recognize me that way. Just three days ago, he was my hall pass. Why not _You're that girl I walked to history class _or _You're that girl at the tree_? It didn't make sense to me. Then again, no one understood Sasuke except for Neji.

"Yeah…" he muttered awkwardly.

I whispered in a serious tone, realizing something, "What are you doing here in public? Aren't you afraid of the fangirls?"

He leaned toward me and also whispered. "I've set three heavily-armed guards outside with the owner's permission. They will not allow any girl who looks suspicious to go inside."

"What about fanboys?"

He smirked. "I instructed the guards to greatly injure any men who seem gay for me."

I chuckled and ended our whispering fest. "I was, uh, _supposed_ to be meeting Neji here but, um… Do you want to sit down?"

Sasuke looked at the neon red clock hanging on the wall behind him. "I think I can spare a minute." He gracefully stole Neji's chair and unexpectedly pulled a small package of matches out of a pocket. He lit the dark red candle that sat in between us and a strong aroma of cinnamon caressed our senses.

I smiled at Sasuke. The corners of his mouth twitched upward and he looked at me from under his dark eyelashes. I swallowed. How could someone so beautiful exist?

.ZOMG.

Apparently, during this time, Neji was enjoying a lovely home cooked meal with Ino's family. Son of a gun.

.ZOMG.

"…So then there was this time in first grade. You know how you grow lima beans in school? Well, Neji could not figure out why mine was growing so quickly! It was driving him _crazy_!"

I couldn't believe Sasuke still sat with me. He probably had much, much better things to do than listen to me tell random stories. Yet, he bit his lip, thinking about what I was telling him.

"So, I finally took mercy on him and explained to him that plants need sunlight to grow. He had chosen to put his plant in the darkest corner of the classroom so I told him to stick in the sunlight at a window. We've been _best _friends ever since."

"Hn." Sasuke nodded. "And falling for him, was that before or after the lima beans?"

Oh my.

"What?" I yelled angrily. "I'm not in love with Hyuuga Ne… Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah…"

I looked down at the empty table in front of me. "Great."

"So why don't you tell him," he asked arrogantly.

I looked back up at him. "Well, I was going to ask him to homecoming, but there's two problems: he likes someone else and she's perfect." It was true. Ino was every guy's dream: blonde, great figure, and she loved to flirt.

Sasuke nodded again. "You know what I think?" He paused. "To let true love remain unspoken is the quickest route to a heavy heart."

I stared at him. Since when was Apollo-in-human-form ice-cold I-have-no-emotions Sasuke so poetic?

"Wow. That's really deep," I said still amazed and still staring.

"Yeah… _And_ your lucky numbers are" — he opened his hand to look at one of those fortunes you get out of fortune cookies — "4, 16, 5, and 45."

I grinned at him.

"Sasuke," someone called from the direction of the door. We both turned to look at the man.

"Yeah, yeah," Sasuke called back.

I continued to stare at the man. "Is that Kakashi-sen—"

"I gotta go," Sasuke said, cutting me off. He handed me the fortune. I shivered when our hands touched. "See you around, Haruno." He stood up and walked to the door.

I reread that fortune so many times as I smiled to myself.

"Sakura-chan, we're closing," Hiyono yelled out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah."

.ZOMG.

I got to school early on Monday. I hardly slept all weekend because all I could do was think about what Sasuke had said and about the fact that I had sat across from a Yakuza member in an enclosed restaurant where there were no witnesses and didn't even realize it. And whenever I called Neji (I just wanted to ask if he was okay, since he didn't show up Friday night.) his phone was off.

I waited for Neji at our lockers. Shino, Kiba, and Hinata stopped to talk to me on the way to their homeroom class. Kiba spoke enough for all of us when he narrated the story of Inuzuka Kiba kicking the butt of Uzumaki Naruto at Guitar Hero III. When they left, Neji glided over, the ghost of a smile on his face.

"Sakura…" he said breathlessly as he opened his locker. All the books I needed were already set out on the floor. "You're not going to believe what happened to me Friday night."

I didn't say anything. I kept my face blank and slowly lifted my hand where a fortune cookie lay on the palm.

"Oh." Neji took the cookie. "I love these." And he really did. He really believed those fortunes to be a huge joke. You see, Neji has a fate-fetish, so he doesn't believe in fortunes and telling the future and stuff. He gets a kick out of reading them.

He bit into one half of it and pulled the slip of paper out of his mouth. "_Your loyalties are clear when it comes to friends_," he read uncharacteristically with a mouth full of cookie.

He looked up at my serious expression as he smiled a bit. I raised my eyebrows and tried to push him to the edge of understanding.

Neji's a smart cookie; he understood exactly what I was hinting at. "Oh, God… Oh… Oh, I really screwed up. Uh… I'm sorry. I know you must want to kill me."

I grinned. Good boy. "Actually, just the opposite. I have something to tell you." This was it. The moment of truth. The sudden death. The climax. The final round. The showdown. The kick-off. I, Haruno Sakura, was about to ask long-time crush, Hyuuga Neji, to the Fourth Hokage Memorial High School Homecoming Dance.

"Yeah?"

"But, you first." I'm a chicken.

Neji ate the other half of the fortune cookie. "Okay, okay. It's about homecoming." OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUSNESS. Was Neji about to do what I was about to do?

I smiled eagerly. "Really? Me, too!" AHH! I couldn't believe this was happening.

"I'm going with Yamanaka Ino! Can you believe it? Me…going with the most amazing girl at Fourth Hokage Memorial High School."

I had never seen Neji so excited.

And I had never felt so heartbroken.

"That's awesome," I managed to force out while I tried to keep my smile from falling.

"I know," he said smugly.

* * *

A.N: Happy New Year everyone!

Sorry I'm late with this.

Okay. As you may have noticed, lot's of Sky High scenes there. And like I keep telling people, if you had read my profile, you would have seen that I got the idea for this story from Sky High. People do that all the time here. Write a story about a movie using Naruto, etc. characters. So I am not at fault here, except for maybe not deliberately stating what I was doing in the begining.

Eh...whatever.

Next chapter is 80 percent my own ideas. Hope that makes you happy.

Thanks for all the reviews though! Please continue! They make _me_ happy!

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the plots from Sky High, or Guitar Hero III. Acutally I do own the game Guitar Hero III (I pwn at it!) but not the acutal company thing...

* * *

Chapter 6 Preview:

Runny Nose:

He was holding his dark blue umbrella with the Uchiha clan symbol on the side out above me while water dripped down the sides of his face. The bangs on the side of his face clung to his cheeks and drops of water periodically slid off his chin. His black t-shirt seemed to be molded against his perfect torso. I became self-conscious of how my thin green shirt look when wet and folded my arms across my chest.

"Come on," he said, jerking his head to the right.

_Edited 06.17.10 - Thank you, sakurabloomsasuke!_


	6. All the Pretty People Died, Innocence is

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 6: All the Pretty People Died, Innocence is Out of Style  
(formerly known as Runny Nose)

I didn't talk once during Kakashi-sensei's class. In general, Neji hardly ever talked, but it was weird for us to not have one or two conversations. Whenever Neji asked me a question or made a simple statement like, "Question 3 is easy," I would only nod or shake my head or shrug. It was surprisingly hard, not talking.

Kakashi-sensei (unsurprisingly) still didn't feel like teaching us anything although it was a week after school started. He gave us a simple worksheet that required us to read a passage from some famous book (this one was from Wuthering Heights—a little above our grade level) and then answer five multiple-choice questions about the passage's diction and metaphors and themes and stuff. He told us to finish the worksheet for homework if we didn't finish in class, which was a worthless instruction; the worksheet took about ten minutes to do. So, of course, most of the class didn't work on the passage at all in class and talked instead. I did it because it gave me an excuse _not_ to talk.

I don't know why but I was curious to see if Sasuke was doing the work or not. But he sat in the back of the classroom and it would be very suspicious to turn back and look at him. I managed to cover my curious stare with a yawn and a stretch that caused my body to turn.

Every girl in my class surrounded the god's desk. I couldn't see through the solid wall of girls, but it was obvious that he was inside the fortress.

"Sasuke-kun," one girl slurred, "I need help with number 1."

Another girl whined, "Sas-kaaay, please help me!"

"What's the answer to the last one, Sasuke-kun," another fangirl asked in a tone that didn't match her question.

The questions continued until one desperate girl screamed out for Sasuke to rape her. (Which doesn't make any sense. If she wants to be raped, it's not rape, right?) Then all the other freaks began competing with each other for Sasuke's love.

"Sasuke-kun, I want to have your children!"

"I'll kill myself if you don't let me give you a blow job!"

"Sasuke-kun, my boobs are bigger than hers!"

"I love you, Sasuke-kun! More than my boyfriend!"

Kakashi-sensei didn't look up from his book, but you could hear the smirk in his voice. "Ladies, settle down. Stop bothering Sasuke."

But they didn't.

Soon, everyone was staring at the crowd of girls. Those fangirls were very angry at each other. Luckily, there were no physical fights, but that's what everyone was waiting for. And luckily, Karin and Ami weren't in this class. Someone would be dead by now.

Finally, Sasuke stood up and pushed through a wall of girls. The fangirls became completely silent as they watched Sasuke leave. Sasuke glided through the small area between Neji's desk and my desk. For a brief moment, I looked up at him, he looked down at me. I blushed, he looked at me with a blank face. And then he was out the door.

"Bye, Sasuke," Kakashi-sensei said as he left.

Ten minutes later, Kakashi closed his book and stood up. He didn't say anything (no one was paying attention anyway) and walked out of the classroom. The moment the door was pulled closed the bell rang.

.ZOMG.

At our lockers before second period, Neji suddenly turned to me. "Oh, yeah," he said. "I almost forgot. What's your homecoming news?"

I wanted to stay silent for that question especially, but that was impossible. I couldn't avoid it. But what would I say? I couldn't just ask him to be my date when he's already going with Ino.

"I'm going, too," I said, sticking my head back in my locker hoping that would be enough.

"Really?" Neji's face was amazed when he moved my locker door to see me. "With who?"

"With who?" I repeated. What was I going to say?

"Yeah, who asked you?"

We closed our lockers and began walking toward history.

"Oh, who asked me…" I said as if I finally understood. Then in a higher voice I said, "Uchiha Sasuke," and I instantly regretted it. Sasuke? Who would believe that?

I began to walk fast, but Neji easily kept up with me. "Uchiha? You can't be serious…" He grabbed my arm and pulled us both to stop, right in the middle of the hallway, too. He had an incredulous look on his face. "He's my biggest enemy!" Enemy? Neji couldn't be a mobster, too…could he?

His grip on my arm tightened. "When did you even start hanging out?"

So, Neji was going to call Ino the most amazing girl at Fourth Hokage Memorial High when I'm his best friend and then say that _I'M_ wrong? That jerk!

I pulled away from Neji as hard as I could and glared at him. "Friday night. Eight o'clock. Ichiraku Ramen," I snapped. Then I walked briskly to our history class.

.ZOMG.

At lunch, I sat across from Sasuke at his entirely empty table. The fangirls and other people had learned not to sit at this table or you would feel the wrath of Uchiha Sasuke.

"Hi, Sasuke-kun," I said conversationally. I didn't look at him as I pushed the leaves in my salad around in the container.

Sasuke wasn't eating anything, but he was working on some problems out of a math book. He put his pen down. "Did I do or say anything Friday night to make you think this is okay?" He was angry.

I laughed sarcastically. "You're so funny. But seriously." I looked at him and then back down at my salad. "You're never going to believe what happened. I was _just_ about to ask Neji to the Homecoming Dance when, wouldn't you know it…"

I looked up at Sasuke again. He had one perfect dark eyebrow raised. And then once again I looked back down at my salad.

"I told him I was going with you instead," I continued with an almost comical tone.

Sasuke leaned toward me and I looked at him. He said slowly, "I don't remember that being part of the plan,"

I opened my mouth to tell him that I knew that wasn't part of the plan, but Tenten sat down beside me.

"Did you do the anatomy homework," she asked before I could inquire why she was at our lunch and not at her own.

I nodded.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke gritted his teeth and glared at the brunette.

"It's called sitting," she spat back. What spunk!

Sasuke gripped the edge of the table. "No one sits here but me." What malice!

Tenten looked at me for a brief moment and then gave Sasuke a condescending look. "Mm-hmm." Then she quickly opened the vertebrate anatomy textbook. "What'd you get for number four? I couldn't figure out if dilating blood vessels or the hemoglobin in blood gives the skin a red pigment."

"It's the hemoglobin," I answered quickly. "But what are you doing here? I thought you had second lunch."

Tenten quickly wrote the answer down. "I had a pre-calc test today—a Monday! And it's the second week of school! Well, you know how with second lunch, you go to fifth period then lunch halfway and then back to fifth? Orochimaru-sensei thought we would cheat and look up answers at lunch so he sent us to third lunch." She grinned. "I got the luck of the draw here though. I finally get to sit with you people _and _get my anatomy homework done."

Kiba trotted over with Hinata following and set down his lunch tray to the left of Sasuke. Hinata sat on my other side.

"Hey," Kiba said, sitting. "Are we eating at Sasuke's table now? I feel extremely dangerous!"

Sasuke glared at him. "Whoa. Whoa."

Naruto also followed at sat to the right of Sasuke, across from Hinata. He jutted a thumb at Sasuke. "This guy bothering you, Sakura?"

Sasuke spoke through clenched teeth. "Try the other way around. Does anyone else need a date for homecoming?"

Just then, Neji and his absolutely perfect girlfriend walked by our table. Neji looked a little out of place with the horde of slutty girls, Karin and Ami included. I _knew_ Ino belonged with them.

And then I did the stupidest thing. I wanted to show Neji that I was having a better time than he was. I let out a round of the fakest forced laughter. I wish it sounded more realistic.

"Sasuke-kun, you are cra-zy!" I pounded my fist on the table.

It worked though. Neji looked at us and his eyes held so much longing. And Sasuke, he looked at me like I had suddenly grown slimy green tentacles. He was disgusted.

I leaned toward him when Neji left with the posse. "Please, I promise." My voice was begging. "I'll make this as painless as possible."

"So… You're not doing this 'cause you like me or anything." Sasuke didn't look angry, but he didn't look happy either. "You're doing this to get at Hyuuga." As he said the name, Sasuke jerked his head in the direction Neji had walked.

The way Sasuke said it made me feel so guilty. I winced and looked down at my salad. I suddenly thought the idea I had made up earlier was really selfish. I finally said, "Yeah…"

Sasuke smirked. "Then I'm in." His smirk faded and he leaned toward me. Our faces were inches away. His warm breath smelled wonderful. "But I'm not renting a tux." He picked up his math book and left me staring after him.

.ZOMG.

Rain fell in buckets outside after school. Yet, Sasuke sat on a stonewall doing math work again. On the good side, an umbrella shielded his papers from the barrage of raindrops.

I noticed a group of freshman girls sitting on the stonewall on the other side of the stairs to the school's front doors. They all huddled under one umbrella and watched Sasuke's every move. Although most kids were heading straight home or searching for shelter, these fangirls still chose to sacrifice their dryness for the sake of love. Poor Sasuke.

From behind me, Neji and Ino gracefully burst out of the doors. I could only wonder if they had been that close behind me the whole time. The world's worst couple was holding hands. Ino was chatting her vocal cords out. Neji listened to every word she said.

I wanted to be the one holding Neji's hand. I wanted to be the one beside him. I wanted to be the object of his affection. It wasn't fair. I loved him so much more than Ino _EVER_ could.

Before I knew what I was doing, I ran to Sasuke's side and held _his_ hand. I cuddled into him to get more of my body under the umbrella. "Hey, cutie," I said smiling at him. "I was just thinking about you and the dance…" My voice trailed off as Neji and Ino walked by. Ino didn't spare me one glance, but Neji looked. He had the same longing sad face.

When they were out of earshot, Sasuke pulled his hand away from me. "Don't call me cutie." He stuffed the math book in his messenger bag and walked away.

Just like at lunch, I stared at Sasuke as he walked away from me. Was that how he solved his problems? By walking away from them?

The rain began to fall harder. My clothes and shoes were soaked to my skin and I had lost most of the heat in my body. I shivered and sniffed. I _hated_ runny noses. And then I sneezed loudly, sending snot all over my arm. I groaned and wiped it all off on my wet jeans. I wished that I hadn't given those girls my tissues on the first day of school. And then I sneezed again.

Suddenly the rain stopped. It wasn't even a gradual ceasing to the rainfall like normal. I looked ahead to see if it actually stopped raining and there was a person there. My eyes traveled up the boy's body and came to his face. Sasuke. He came back.

He was holding his dark blue umbrella with the Uchiha clan symbol on the side out above me while water poured down the sides of his face. The bangs on the side of his face clung to his cheeks and drops of water periodically slid off his chin. His black t-shirt seemed to be molded against his perfect torso. I became self-conscious of how my thin green shirt looked when wet and folded my arms across my chest.

"Come on," he said, jerking his head to the right.

I reflexively looked to the right and back up at him. "Where?"

He exhaled deeply, but it wasn't exactly a sigh. "I'll drive you home."

"Why?"

"You walk home."

I nodded even though it wasn't a question.

"And you were sneezing," he continued.

I nodded again.

He groaned. "So walking home in the rain will make you even more sick. Let's go." He turned and walked away. I followed.

* * *

A.N: Ah...yes. Beautiful wet Sasuke. What's better than that?

In other news, I almost FCed (full combo—five stars) Bulls on Parade on medium (which I must admit, is still easy) on Guitar Hero III. I missed two notes! My little brother FCed it thought. I wanted to prove I could do it, too. Maybe I should start training up on Prayer of the Refugee by Rise Against on medium. That song's my other forte 'cause I love it so much. I recommend that everyone download that song RIGHT NOW.

And in other news, yesterday 01.11.08 was my little brother and sister's birthday! They're fourteen. Sniff, I can't believe it. They're getting so old!

And in other other news, I decided to download a few Paramore songs since they're so popular and I had never heard them. (I never listen to the radio. I hate it.) They're okay. They only song I liked was Misery Business. And does anyone else feel that song SORT OF connects with the Sakura character in this story?

_I'm in the business of misery, let's take it from the top  
She's got a body like an hourglass that's tickin like a clock  
It's a matter of time before we all run out  
When I thought he was mine she caught him by the mouth_

And: _Second chances they don't ever matter, people never change  
Once a whore you're nothing more, I'm sorry, that'll never change  
And about forgiveness, we're both supposed to have exchanged  
I'm sorry honey, but I'm passing up, now look this way _

_Well there's a million other girls who do it just like you  
Looking as innocent as possible to get to who  
They want and what they like it's easy if you do it right  
Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse_

'She' is Ino, 'he' is Neji. and the speaker is Sakura... Does anyone get what I'm saying? But then the rest of the song goes on about how the speaker finally got the guy she wanted from the girl she didn't like, and Sakura has not gotten Neji back yet. So...maybe not the entire song.

Thanks for aaaaall the reviews! Keep 'em comin'!

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the plots from Sky High, or Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.

(Next chapter is 100 percent my own idea...just so you know...)

* * *

Chapter 7 Preview:

Kiryu's Ice Cream:

I swiftly ran my hand over the top of the car, collecting rainwater, and I started wetting his almost dry bangs. I combed the hair into his eyes and grinned when I had finished. "Hello, Mr. Emo."

He looked adorable as he gazed at me from behind his hair. "I can't see."

"Hello, Sakura!"

I spun and almost had a heart attack. "Hi, mom." My voice was flat.

"Who's the boy that drove you home?" How she assumed it was a boy as she pulled in, I'll never know. She peered around me and into the car. Sasuke only watched her and didn't bother with a greeting. She smiled at him, her crowfeet becoming more visible under the thick layers of make-up.

_Edited 06.17.10 - Thank you, sakurabloomsasuke!_


	7. Quote Well Woe is Me Unquote

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 7: Quote Well Woe is Me Unquote  
(formerly known as Kiryu's Ice Cream)

I walked very close to him to that I could fit under the umbrella. Our shoulders hit each other's with every step. It felt a little uncomfortable, walking this close to him, but I didn't really mind. And for the first time, all thoughts of Neji had left me.

I could barely hear the whispers and footsteps of the fangirls behind us; I was so conscious of the very presence next to me. He smelled amazing—that's a huge understatement. He didn't really smell like cologne or body wash or something. He smelled…like how his house should smell. Like the food he probably cooked in his house. It seemed that the rain brought out this strong scent because I had never smelt it before. And he was warm. What is up with that cliché? Are all guys always hot? Do they have their bodies working overtime just so that they can hold a cold young lady to their chest? Because I wanted to wrap my arms around him and take in his heat.

Sasuke took us through the teachers' small parking lot as I sneezed a few times—us includes the fangirls. He stopped at the passenger side of an ominous black car. The windows were even tinted so darkly. He handed me the umbrella and I took it in both hands. He pulled a key ring out of his pocket that had only one key on it and stuck the key into the door. As he opened the door, he looked at me and touched my face. I couldn't tell if my blush or the heat from his hand was warming my cheek.

"Cold," he said deeply. I didn't reply.

He took the umbrella from me and said the same tone, "Get in." I pulled my soaked backpack off and set it in between my legs on the car floor after I had seated.

Sasuke started the car and it began to purr softly. It padded silently out of the parking lot and out onto the empty main street like a cat on a hunt.

"Why were you parked in the teachers' parking lot," I asked when we came to the first traffic light.

Sasuke looked at me briefly and then back at the street. "It's closer."

I stared confused at his face for a full minute. If he noticed—I know he did—he didn't seem to care.

When the light turned green and we began driving again, he asked me where I lived. I told him I lived off this street on a road called Negima.

As we continued up the street, I thought back to those fangirls. I wondered what they were thinking when I got into Sasuke's car. What would they tell people at school tomorrow? At that moment, I didn't really care. It would add to our devious little plot of making Neji jealous.

At the next light, I asked Sasuke what type of car this was, just to end the silence. Guys like talking about their cars, right?

"It's a 2008 Chrysler Crossfire."

"Oh," I said. I had never heard of it. "I like it. It's nice." I touched the smooth black leather seat.

"Hn."

"Is it yours?"

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah. Whose else would it be?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. It's just that on the first day of school you had a driver pick you up."

He didn't say anything for a moment. "Oil change."

"Hah! That's a lie! You stole this car, didn't you, you little yakuza?!" is what I would have said if I wasn't such a polite young lady. "Oh," I _did_ say.

My nose itched and I sneezed into the inside of my elbow. "Ugh," I groaned, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. " I hate runny noses."

Without looking, he managed to open the compartment before me and show me a small stack of napkins. They had been nabbed from McDonald's. It was hard picturing a big time Uchiha in a McDonald's restaurant or any fast-food chain.

I grabbed a napkin and blew my nose. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun"

I had a sudden urge to stuff my used tissue back into a corner of the compartment and close it. I wanted to see if they next time I checked the tissue it would be soaked with blood from storing a yakuza victim's hand in there or something. But I figured, when is the next time I'm ever going to ride in Sasuke's car again? Plus, who knows how many cars rich boy Sasuke owns?

After pointing my house out, he pulled into my empty driveway. I got out of the car and it was still raining hard outside. And then my mom's PT Cruiser pulls in right behind us. I swear, she's crazy!

I ran over to Sasuke's side of the car and banged on the window. He hit a button and we stared at each other as the window rolled most of the way down.

"That's my mom." I hissed loudly.

His eyes narrowed. "Well, tell mummy to move-her-car." Ugh! He was such a jerk!

"I will," I said, trying to copy his annoyed tone as I quickly looked from him to my mom's car and back to him. "Don't let her know who you are if she comes over here; she has a celebrity fetish. Put sunglasses on or something!"

He scoffed. "I don't have any."

My mom was out of her car now, waving at me from under an umbrella. I ignored her and turned back to Sasuke. My cold fingers gripped the top edge of the window. "Do something!" I said desperately.

"Like what?" he growled.

I swiftly ran my hand over the top of the car, collecting rainwater, and I started wetting his almost dry bangs. I combed the hair into his eyes and grinned when I had finished. "Hello, Mr. Emo."

He looked adorable as he gazed at me from behind his hair. "I can't see."

"Hello, Sakura!"

I spun and almost had a heart attack. "Hi, mom." My voice was flat.

"Who's the boy that drove you home?" How she assumed it was a boy as she pulled in, I'll never know. She peered around me and into the car. Sasuke only watched her and didn't bother with a greeting. She smiled at him, her crowfeet becoming more visible under the thick layers of make-up.

"Who are you?" What a sweet voice for such a rude question!

Sasuke didn't answer. He stared at me. _Tell her to move her damn car_, I could almost hear Sasuke screaming at me telepathically.

"This is, um," I said quickly, "Nejimaru. We go to school together."

My mom gave me a skeptical look. "Nejimaru?"

"Yes," I said.

"Yes," Sasuke repeated, glaring at me. Apparently, he didn't like the name.

She seemed to believe it and smiled widely at Sasuke with her artificially whitened teeth. "Thank you for driving my daughter home," she said with surprising sincerity. "I was just about to go pick her up. I just needed to drop off this ice cream before it melted." She held up a plastic bag from the local grocery store, Kiryu's—the expensive one—that supported a tub of generic brand cookies and cream ice cream. Generic, as in ice cream from the other local grocery store—the cheap one. What the heck what _that _doing in_ that _bag?

Glancing at the neighbors' houses, she continued in a louder voice, "This is the _best_ ice cream from the _best_ grocery store, Kiryu's. I paid a lot more for it than the generic brand, but it's worth it. _We_ only eat the ice cream from _Kiryu's_." We _never _eat ice cream from Kiryu's. I know my mom was a compulsive liar, but this was too much.

Sasuke was still not paying attention to her. He stared at me, eyes wide and urging.

"Mom—"

"You know, I hear Kiryu's ice cream tastes better and is better for you than generic brands." She taped the tub. "This was a good deal. And I hear that they only serve Kiryu's ice cram at the Hokage's home." Yeah, she hears a lot of things.

"Mom—"

"Hokage-sama just _adores_ Daisuke. He once let Daisuke wear his hat for an entire ceremony!"

"Mom—"

"Daisuke's the top of his class at the Academy. So isn't Sakura here at your high school." She patted my cheek.

"Mom!" I yelled, getting fed up.

My mom's eyes shifted from house to house. "Not too loud, Sakura. The neighbors might hear you."

"Mom," I continued, ignoring her, "can you move the car so Nejimaru can get out?"

She sighed and tired to make herself look tired. "Well, I suppose—"

I sneezed and ruined everything. I _hate_ runny noses.

"Oh, my!" My mom placed her fingers on my neck. "You're freezing! You must a bad cold now! Come on. Get inside and get changed. I'll make soup." Too bad it wouldn't be _Kiryu's_ soup.

She looked at Sasuke. "Can you stay for dinner? At least come in and warm up," she added when he opened his mouth to refuse. "We don't bite, Nejimaru-kun."

I almost laughed out loud; that sounded so stupid!

My mom didn't wait for an answer and headed for the door. Didn't look like she was going to move the car anytime soon.

"Uhh…" I started.

"Fuck you," Sasuke said, combing his hair back. "Way to be sick at the completely wrong moment. Now, I _have_ to stay," He rolled his window up and pulled his key out of the ignition. Then without warning, he opened the car door straight into my body.

"Hey," I screeched. "You jerk!"

He didn't reply and slammed the door shut. The car shook as if it were angry. I was so pissed at Sasuke that I forgot to tell him to comb his hair back into his face before we went inside.

* * *

A.N: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE REVIEWS!! They gave me so much confidence! I love all of you!

What do you think of the mom character? I tried to indirectly characterize her in a way that should give you all a good picture of her.

By the way, for those who didn't know, -maru is a common ending for boy's names in Japan. So that's why Sakura added -maru to Neji's name. It is not a combination of the names Shikamaru and Neji.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT FARTHER THAN THE CHUNIN EXAMS IN THE REGULAR NARUTO SERIES (NOT SHIPPUDEN). (I know there are some out there...)

Just so you know, the Hokage in this story is Sarutobi, the Third, who is still alive. Tsunade, the Fifth, is not Hokage but the principal of the high school.

END SPOILER

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Chrysler Crossfire, McDonald's, or PT Cruiser.

* * *

Chapter 8 Preview

Oh How the Plot Thickens

I looked back at him. His head was turned away as he pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed. I swear I could see the cliché anime vein throbbing.

"Uchiha Sasuke," my mom squealed like a fangirl.

All right. I understand that everyone believes their parents are the most embarrassing on earth. But seriously, how many of your parents have started squealing at the boy you bring home?

_Edited 01.29.09_


	8. Oh How the Plot Thickens

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 8: Oh How the Plot Thickens  
(formerly known as Colorful)

My mom scrambled over as soon as she heard the front door shut. She had stored her burgundy raincoat in a closet to reveal a short-sleeved pink shirt with a square collar. She wore a silver heart-shaped locket around her neck. I had the identical one on too at that moment. Daisuke had given them to us for Christmas the year before. In other words, Daisuke picked them out and my dad paid for and wrapped them. It was still cute, though, for him to give them to us. My mom was also wearing loose-fitting jeans and tan slippers with a white fur trim.

"Sakura, what did I tell you about yelling outside? The neighbors—" She gasped and pointed at Sasuke in realization. "Uchiha? Uchiha Sasuke?!"

I stepped in front of him and waved my hands. "No, mom! This is Nejimaru!"

"Uchiha Sasuke," she repeated, hyperventilating.

I looked back at him. His head was turned away as he pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed. I swear I could see the cliché anime vein throbbing.

"Uchiha Sasuke," my mom squealed like a fangirl.

All right. I understand that everyone believes their parents are the most embarrassing on earth. But seriously, how many of your parents have started squealing at the boy you bring home?

"Sasuke-kun and I are going upstairs to get changed. 'Kay—bye." I grabbed Sasuke's arm and flew up the stairs to the right of us. When we reached my room, I pushed him inside and slammed the door shut behind me.

We stared at each other for a long time. He broke eye contact first when he looked down at our feet.

"Sakura."

"Hmm?"

"We didn't take out shoes off."

"Oh."

I slipped off my black and white "Speed Cat" Pumas—the classics—without bothering to untie the laces. Holding them both in one hand, I held the other hand out to him. "Give me your shoes. I'll take them downstairs." I sighed. "Thanks for reminding me. My mom'll have a fit if she found out we wore our shoes upstairs."

He bent over and untied his shoes silently. When I had both of his shoes in my other hand, I noticed that we had the same shoes, but his were the guy version of mine, the bulkier version. I smiled and took the shoes downstairs.

When I returned to my room, he was standing in the same place. His hands were in his jean pockets, shoulders high, as if he was too afraid to touch anything. I felt a pang of guilt and paced my room back and forth before him while I combed my fingers through my wet hair.

"Sasuke-kun," I begged, my mind going everywhere, "I am _so_ sorry about my mom. If I had known she would do—I didn't think she would do that. I can't believe it. She is so—urgh!" I continued to ramble on and on about how sorry I was until he told me to shut up.

My head shot in his direction, as I was about to tell him to chill out. Instead, I watched him. He was still standing in the same position; he hadn't moved an inch. Poor guy, he probably felt awkward—embarrassed to be in my room.

I squealed. He was like a defenseless little kitten in unknown territory.

He blinked at me but didn't say anything. I squealed again.

"What?" he snapped. Feisty little kitty.

I grinned and began to push him out the door. "Wait here 'till I finish changing. Do you need something to change into?" I looked him up and down. He didn't look too wet. Just a little damp.

He shook his head.

"All right." I closed the door.

After I changed my socks and underwear and changed into my favorite pajamas. I opened my door again to find him leaning against the wall opposite my room. He raised his eyebrows when he saw me.

"What?" I asked following his gaze to my clothes as I closed the door behind me. I was wearing a neon blue t-shirt and black silk pajama pants with big polka dots of various colors.

"Colorful," he muttered, a bit amused.

I blushed. "Yeah…"

"Like your room. That is the most colorful girl's room I've ever seen," he said, shaking his head.

I giggled. "Nah… I'm sure you've seen more colorful girls' rooms." Sure, my bedspread had every color in the rainbow splashed onto it; each of my four walls was painted yellow, green, pink, or blue; on top of my wooden floor I had three circular rugs that were spiraled with different colors; and I had speckled my originally white furniture with pastel colors. But that doesn't mean my room was _that_ colorful.

His eyes narrowed and he stepped toward me, pushing me to the door. He inclined his head some toward mine and growled. "Are you insinuating that I've been in a lot of girls' rooms?"

All I could think at that moment was, THIS YAKUZA MEMBER IS GOING TO KILL ME, and, HE'S EVEN HOTTER UP CLOSE!

I blushed and my stomach did somersaults. "N-n-no not a-a-at all… I meant th-that—"

"Shut up," he said with an almost embarrassed tone. He abruptly backed away from me, stumbling back, covering his cheeks with one hand like he was trying to hide something. "You're annoying."

Zomg. Bi-polar much?

"Sa-ku-ra! U-chi-ha-san!" my mother sang, ending with an unbelievably high note.

I groaned.

"I finished making the soup, darlings! Come and get it!"

.ZOMG.

Sasuke and I sat on the couch in front of the TV in the living room. I was flipping through channels, trying to find something good to watch. I had told Sasuke to tell me to stop when we found something he liked. So far, he made no noise or movement.

The soup my mom had made earlier was chicken-noodle, my favorite kind. It was okay, but all the spices she put in made it taste like ramen. I did feel a lot warmer after I ate it. But that might have been because Sasuke watched me the entire time while we ate and I couldn't figure out why.

We had eaten in the dining room where my family never eats. We usually eat around the small diner-style booth in a corner of our kitchen. My mom had set out our best china and even changed the tablecloth to something fancier. She had placed our bowls of soup across from each other on one end of the table and lit a fake-gold candelabrum in between us. The room had kind of looked like it did when the Hokage came for dinner.

My thumb started hurting from changing the channel nonstop and I just left it on some soap opera.

"_Mona_," the British man in an extremely tight suit said breathlessly. He placed his arms around the thin, busty woman before him and took her to the couch in an ornate candlelit living room. "_Mona_, _I want you to moan-uh_."

I burst out laughing. "Oh my god! Moan-uh!"

Sasuke grabbed the remote from my hand and changed it to next the channel up. Unfortunately, here, a lot of the soap opera channels are grouped together. On this station, a Latino couple said something to each other in Spanish and then began ravenously making-out. I laughed loudly again.

He changed the channel again. Another soap opera.

A blonde woman slapped a blonde teenage girl. The girl began crying softly.

"_Cindy!_" the woman screeched. "_John is your step-father!_ _You don't have sex with your step-father! You are the worst daughter ever!_"

I started laughing and Sasuke growled. He threw the remote onto my lap and leaned on the couch arm.

We seemed to be staring at the same shelf in the entertainment center because as soon as I yelled, "Movie!" we both leaped toward the shelf.

I pulled out all the DVDs and spread them out on the floor. "What do you want to watch?"

He didn't say anything so I started to reach for National Treasure. His hand was already there.

"National Treasure is my absolute favorite movie," I squealed.

He nodded and handed me the movie. "Mine, too."

I grinned as I carefully placed the movie in the DVD player.

We were at the part where Ben Gates and Riley Poole first meet Abigail Chase in her office when my mom sauntered into the living room.

"I'm going to pick up Daisuke from school. So, I'll be back soon," she said. "No funny business, you two, okay?" She winked.

"Mm-hmm," I said, turning back to the movie. What kind of a mother leaves a teenage boy she doesn't really know alone in her house with her daughter?

.ZOMG.

Half way through the movie, I felt hungry, even after the soup.

"Want a snack, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn."

I took that as a yes so I paused the movie. "C'mon." He followed me into the kitchen where little eight-year-old Daisuke was sitting at the table doing homework.

"Hey, Daisuke," I said, opening the fridge and pulling out two Sprites.

"Hi, Sakura!" He bounced out of his seat over to us. Looking up at Sasuke, he rubbed the top of his freckled nose. "Who are you? My new babysitter?"

Sasuke kept a straight face. "Well, let's go sit some babies."

I laughed and Daisuke narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. "Daisuke, this is my friend from school, Uchiha Sasuke."

Daisuke backed up slowly while watching Sasuke and then ran over to his homework.

I opened our snack cabinet and pulled out a box of granola bars. I pulled two out and set them next to my Sprite. I motioned to the open cabinet. "What do you want?" I asked.

Sasuke briefly looked over the items in the cabinet and then shifted his eyes toward three plump tomatoes my mom had set on a glass cutting board for dinner preparation.

"Do you want a tomato," I asked. He didn't answer so I just grabbed one and pulled a knife out of a drawer. Before I could slice it, he took the knife out of my hand and set it on the cutting board. Then, he grabbed the tomato and his Sprite and trotted into the living room.

"All right…" I followed him in and started the movie back up.

* * *

A.N: Ah... Sorry for the long wait. Science projects are horrible. I am more than happy that I won't have to do one next year and finally break the chain of doing one EVERY SINGLE YEAR OF MY LIFE...

SPOILER WARNING FOR SHIPPUDEN EPISODE 47  
Episode 47 of Shippuden, how exciting was that?! Finally! Sasuke! YAY!  
END SPOILER

Ah, I can't wait for 48! When the heck is it coming out?!

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Puma the brand, National Treasure, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, or Sprite.

* * *

Chapter 9 Preview

Your Halo Slipping Down to Choke You Now

My legs continued to shake and I hoped people would acknowledge it as just a habit. I wondered if Sasuke ever felt this way when he found a horrifying picture of himself in the paper. Or if _any_ celebrity felt this way. Probably not, I decided. They were used to it.

I groaned. But I wasn't a celebrity! How could I get used to this?! If Sasuke and I were going to pretend to date until the Homecoming Dance a little less than a month away, how many more sketchy pictures would I have to endure? My legs beat faster up and down at the thought.

I felt a hard grip on my leg. Sasuke's hand held onto the area right above my knee, keeping my foot pinned to the floor.

"Stop," he said, a fierce look on his face. "Calm down."

_Edited 01.29.09_


	9. Your Halo Slipping Down to Choke You Now

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 9: Your Halo Slipping Down to Choke You Now  
(formerly known as The Girl Sasuke Raped)

We automatically replaced National Treasure with National Treasure 2 when the first had ended. While Ben snuck into Abigail's house, I snuck peeks at Sasuke.

He seemed perfectly content, like a crying child who could only be calmed down by turning on SpongeBob SquarePants. His eyes lit up when the movie became especially exciting. He leaned forward slightly when the car chase began. He relaxed when Ben found the clue he needed. He snorted softly when Riley said something stupid. I couldn't believe how ordinary…how human he seemed.

And I couldn't figure out why he was still here. I thought he didn't want to stay at all. He ate with me (while he stared at me) and watched TV with me (while I stared at him). It was like we were good friends just spending time together (except for the staring).

Just for a change, I slumped lower in my seat and stretched my legs across his lap. His eyebrows furrowed together, his eyes telling me to stop what I was doing. I narrowed my eyes at him, a huge smile on my face, challenging him. He raised an eyebrow and pushed my legs off. Then, he quickly turned to face me, his back against the armrest, and swung his legs onto the area of empty couch between us. I smirked and copied him, placing my legs on top of his. We fought for dominance. No one in particular won. I could tell he was going easy on me so I took advantage of that and kicked at his legs as hard as I could. But he was still strong, even while going easy on me. When we eventually turned our attention back to the movie, our legs were in a tangle.

.ZOMG.

When my mom called us over for dinner, I realized that my dad had come home from work and I never knew. He was sitting at the head of the dining room table.

"Uchiha-san," my dad greeted gruffly when we entered the dining room. I wondered why my dad was being so formal with him. Was it because of the plain fact that he was an Uchiha?

Sasuke bowed his head. "Haruno-sama."

SAMA? My eyes flashed between my dad and Sasuke. Had they met before? What was up with all the formalities?

I watched the two men stare at each other for a moment. It looked like they were silently speaking to each other. There were no expression changes though. Just stern, formal looks.

"Boss," Sasuke was probably saying, "don't let your daughter know that we know each other. She knows I'm a yakuza member and this could ruin your façade."

"Sasuke," my dad probably reprimanded, "how dare you let her figure out what you are!"

You know, I had always wondered why my dad, the president of a small-time modeling agency, often spent nights away from home without a word to us. Mom had never seemed fazed by it. I supposed she knew that he was a mobster. It explained why my dad had a different car every month or so.

I really should have been more freaked out. I mean, my _own father_ was a mob boss. But I just couldn't find the fear. It was like this was an ordinary thing all because I had figured Sasuke out already.

"Uchiha-san, Sakura, please sit," my dad finally said. Sasuke sat at the other head of the table and I sat adjacent to him.

My mom came in with the last serving dish of food and Daisuke followed. Daisuke sat across from me and my mom sat next to him, adjacent to my dad. There was an empty seat next to me.

The meal was uneventful; I don't even remember what we ate. I remember offering stuff to Sasuke and he would give me confusing answers, like "Hn," or silence. And I remember Daisuke.

Daisuke kept this really expressionless face on and looked around indifferently. When mom would ask him if he wanted something, he answered like Sasuke did, with Hn's and silence. My mom was as confused as I was, probably more. I wondered if Sasuke realized that a little kid now idolized him.

After dinner, my dad went out to move my mom's car and Sasuke and I waited by his car. Daisuke and my mom stood at the front door. The rain had finally stopped, leaving a clean, wet smell. As he stuck the key into the door, Sasuke put his left hand on my lower back and drew me in closer. My stomach fluttered. He spoke softly.

"I had no idea Haruno-sama was your father. Are there other Harunos around here?"

"Yeah," I said. "My dad's brother's family."

"Do you know what kind of work your father does," he asked even lower.

"No." I tried to sound indifferent. "All I know is that he's the president of some modeling agency. I don't know what he actually does."

"Hn." He actually looked at me now. I could feel his hand tightening around my shirt. He exhaled slowly. "Bye, Sakura."

I smiled. "Bye. See you tomorrow."

He retracted his arm and opened the car door. I moved back so I wouldn't get hit as he pulled out.

"Bye, Sasuke-kun," my mom called from the front door. She and Daisuke waved.

Sasuke ignored them and got in the car. When he had pulled out and driven away, my dad re-parked my mom's car.

Watching Sasuke's car drive away made my stomach turn. I suddenly missed him a lot.

.ZOMG.

The moment I walked into Kakashi-sensei's class, all eyes turned to me and all conversation ended. Then a few seconds later, there was an explosion of whispers. Sasuke, who was leaning against Kakashi's desk, straightened up and frowned at me. All I could do was go over the list of things I did yesterday and decide on the one that made the entire class hate me. There was the gossip from the fangirls that followed Sasuke and me to Sasuke's car the day before, but I don't think that would make everyone angry with me.

Sasuke beckoned me over with a finger. Open on Kakashi-sensei's desk was the local newspaper. The largest picture on the page was one of Sasuke and me at my house next to his car. Sasuke had his arm around me and his face was very close to mine. I could almost feel Sasuke's arm around me, almost hear him asking me if I knew my father's occupation.

"Oh no…" I grabbed the newspaper. The title of the article read: UCHIHA FINALLY FINDS LOVE. I couldn't even bear to read what was written. It was on the front page of the local section, at least not the front page of the entire newspaper. The article was only one column long and was not the headline. That did not lessen the fact of how big the picture was.

I looked up at Sasuke. He was still frowning. "Sasuke-kun, I'm really sorry."

"Hn." It looked like his anger was rising as the talking in the class rose.

"It wasn't my fault though," I said quickly, wincing. I didn't want an outburst from Sasuke directed at me.

He closed his eyes, calming himself down. "I'm not angry with you."

"Oh. Okay." I exhaled and walked to my seat beside Neji, who was watching me.

"What. Did. You. Do," Neji asked as soon as stood before my desk.

"I didn't do anything," I snapped.

"What is _this_?" he practically yelled. He pointed to a picture on some magazine that was identical to the one of Sasuke and me.

"Leave her alone, Hyuuga." Sasuke appeared to my left, an arm around me. His grip on my upper right arm was hard.

Neji glared sharply at Sasuke. And then he directed his glare at me. I was startled and I unconsciously stepped back. Neji's glare, if it were possible, would have killed me on the spot.

Sasuke guided me to the back of the classroom where his seat was. He sat me down in his seat and before I could protest, he kicked the girl in the desk beside his out with a simple jerk of his head and sat down.

The phone in my pocket vibrated and I pulled it out. An extravagant picture of my mom puckering her lips blinked on the preview screen. Who did she think she was? Calling me while I was in school! I pressed a button on the side to make it stop vibrating and stuffed it back in my pocket to leave my mother to the voicemail. Seconds later, my phone vibrated again. I pulled it out and saw that I had a new text message.

SAKURA! I saw pic of u and  
sasukekun in paper! U 2 r so  
cute! Luv mom

I sighed and deleted the message. Before I could stick it back in my pocket, my phone vibrated again. And then before I could read it, my phone vibrated again. And again.

The first one was from Tenten. It read:

I saw the picture! Wat did  
sasuke do to u?!

The second was from Kiba. It read:

WAT HAPENED 2  
NEJNEJ? GAV UP ON IHM  
SO U DECIDEAD 2 FUK  
SASUKE?

No, Kiba, I "decidead" to kill you! I deleted the message as fast as possible.

The third was from Temari, the senior.

Sakura you poor thing. Stay  
away from the fan girls.  
Theyll kill you!

That didn't make me feel any better. I finally put my phone away. My legs shook. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. My mom didn't seem like she cared, but what would my dad think? He knew I didn't do anything with Sasuke, but that picture might ruin his reputation. For the first time ever, I thought, What would the neighbors think? I was genuinely afraid.

Kakashi-sensei finally started class and was picking on people to read a paragraph at a time from the _Wuthering Heights _worksheet. I couldn't pay attention. All I could think about was what would happen to me when I left the class. I coiled and uncoiled my fingers. I couldn't look at anyone. I didn't want to see hate or disappointment written on their faces. I folded my arms on the desk and rested my head. My pocket vibrated again; I ignored it.

My legs continued to shake and I hoped people would acknowledge it as just a habit. I wondered if Sasuke ever felt this way when he found a horrifying picture of himself in the paper. Or if _any_ celebrity felt this way. Probably not, I decided. They were used to it.

I groaned. But I wasn't a celebrity! How could I get used to this?! If Sasuke and I were going to pretend to date until the Homecoming Dance a little less than a month away, how many more sketchy pictures would I have to endure? My legs beat faster up and down at the thought.

I felt a hard grip on my leg. Sasuke's hand held onto the area right above my knee, keeping my foot pinned to the floor.

"Stop," he said, a fierce look on his face. "Calm down."

I turned as far as my desk would allow to the right to face Sasuke. His entire body was turned toward me. "I can't," I whined softly. "Your stupid fangirls are going to kill me. My dad's going to lose his job and then he'll kill me, too. And I will forever be known as The Girl Sasuke Raped."

"I didn't rape you," he snapped. "And no one thinks that. You should have read the article. It's a lot better than you think." He let go of my leg and I stretched it.

"What did it say?"

He looked away. "Well, they described you as a beautiful pink-haired girl with a personality to match…or something like that."

"So who ever wrote the article knows me personally!"

"Not necessarily."

I groaned and put my head back onto my folded arms. And then I started crying. I couldn't stop no matter how many times I told myself I was overreacting.

"Shit." I could hear Sasuke getting out of his chair and walk over to mine. He put a hand on my mid-back where my hair ended. "Stop crying," he ordered.

I couldn't.

* * *

A.N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAKURA!

Ah...I posted this chapter (finally) in celebration of Forehead Girl's anniversaire. Yay!

So...Guitar Hero III news: I finished Mauvais Garcon 100 percent on medium. Not a big deal there. That song is pretty much the easiest song ever...on medium at least. It's quite challenging on hard and expert.

Well...Shippuuden episode 51?? OMIGAWWW! That was intense... I suggest that eveyone watch it now...even if you've never watched an episode of Shippuuden. Watch it anyway!

Uhh...I went to Anime Boston last weekend! My first convention! It was amazing! My friend was the best (older) Kairi ever... She made her keyblade and costume on her own. You shoulda seen her keyblade. It wasn't Kairi's flowery keyblade, but it was some keyblade that Roxas and Sora use. That really pretty one with the paupu fruit on the chain...yeah... Well, her keyblade was so detailed. I'm so jealous of her handiwork. And there was the wicked hot Cloud there. But his hair wasn't spiky. So, my friend decided that it must be raining outside. I said, no, he just got out of the shower.

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, National Treasure, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, or Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 and its characters.

* * *

Chapter 10 Preview:

Climb Up Your Pedestal to Hang Yourself From It

"Hn." He looked away. "Are you an illegitimate child," he asked in a straight voice. "Did your mother have an affair with a pink haired man and managed to have your father believe you were his? Or maybe the man your mother had an affair with had normal colored hair and was just a carrier for pink hair."

I doubled over laughing. Every minute I spent with him made him seem less and less like a god. He was a normal teenager who was sometimes a jerk…and happened to be the personification of beauty. Who would have thought that Uchiha Sasuke had an interesting imagination?

_Edited 01.29.09_


	10. Climb Up Your Pedestal to Hang Yourself

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 10: Climb Up Your Pedestal to Hang Yourself From It  
(formerly known as Purple Plus Brown Equals Pink?)

"Sakura, stop crying right now. You're embarrassing yourself. Stop it."

I tried to tell Sasuke that I couldn't, but it came out sounding like the whine of a hungry dog. I lifted my head to look at him.

"Sasuke-kun…" I wiped my tears away as best I could and noticed that everyone was staring at me again. Tears started to run down my cheeks again, not because of my fear but because I was embarrassed.

"Sakura, are you okay," Kakashi-sensei asked. "Do you need to go to the nurse?" I didn't answer and continued to cry.

Sasuke growled and squatted down to my level. He wrapped his arms around me and ordered again, "Stop crying."

I shifted in my chair and put my forehead on to his shoulder. He let me. I wish more than anything that Neji was the one holding me, not Sasuke. Sasuke was a jerk; he didn't know how to console someone. I didn't feel any safer or calmer with him.

He slowly stood up and pulled me up with him. I snaked my arms around his torso so he wouldn't leave me. Because I couldn't reach his shoulder, I buried my face into his chest like an ostrich that sticks its head in ground to hide itself.

He snapped his finger at a girl near us and pointed at our books. She scrambled over and carried the books after us as Sasuke led us out of the classroom. He didn't say a word to anyone.

Outside of the class, Sasuke had the girl put our books on the floor. After she hurried back inside, Sasuke stepped closer to the wall so that we were no longer in the middle of the hallway.

"Sakura," he said, his voice how and almost sorrowful, "I don't know how to comfort you, so stop crying."

I pressed against him and tightened my hold. My tears were silent now. "Just stay with me," I managed to say.

He sighed impatiently and rested his head on top of mine. The hair on top of my head cushioned his cheek. He copied me by tightening his hold around me. We stayed like that for a while.

I felt like such a loser. I interrupted class to cry about a stupid picture that everyone would forget about in a week, embarrassed Sasuke, and intimately hugged the hottest kid at school. If people didn't think I was a freak before, they did now.

Kimimaru-sensei, our Vertebrate Anatomy teacher, walked by us, twirling his small pocket knife made of ivory between his fingers. Sasuke and I both lifted our heads to look at him. I blushed deeply and expected Sasuke to let go of me, but he didn't.

Kimimaru flipped his knife closed. "What are you kids doing here? Get to class." How could this guy scold us when he was walking around a public high school with a sharp bone weapon?

"Hn." Sasuke let go of me and picked up our books. Then he took my hand and brought me into the empty computer lab next door for English classes. I looked back. If he knew that there was no class in the computer lab that could have been ours, Kimimaru-sensei didn't look like he really cared.

The computer lab was interesting. The three out of four walls were lined with cheap wooden tables painted robin-egg blue. On the fourth wall there was a white marker board behind a teachers' desk. In the center of the room there was an X-shaped table, also painted blue. All the tables were covered with several-year-old outdated computers, wires, and scraps of paper lazy people left behind. The walls were covered with old poetry projects, school newspapers, random pictures of old and current students, lists of students with a study certain periods, notices for poetry and essay contests, and other things I can't find words to describe. I had heard that Kakashi-sensei's English classes would have to move into this room while another teacher moved into Kakashi's room. I figured it would be pretty cool having a computer instead of a desk, even if it was ugly and old.

Sasuke set our books on top of a computer that looked like it might fall apart and sat down in the chair in front of it. I sat down beside him and rubbed my itchy cheeks.

He sighed and watched me. "Go to the bathroom and wash your face."

"I can't," I said in a small, shaky voice. "I don't have a pass. They won't let me in."

He sighed again and got up. "C'mon."

I followed him out of the lab and down the hallway a little. He knocked on the door to a women teachers' bathroom. No one answered so he held the door open for me.

I stepped inside. "But—"

"I'll be right out here. You're not going to get in trouble." He jutted his chin, urging me to go in.

I closed the door and walked over to the sink. It was dirty of course. What part of a public high school isn't dirty? I pressed on the soap dispenser. There was soap! Why did the teachers get soap and we didn't? I checked the paper towel dispenser. There were towels! I couldn't believe this. It was like blasphemy. I'm pretty sure the girl students used the bathrooms more than the teachers.

I'm wasting time, I thought. I went back to the sink and looked in the mirror. I looked horrible. My cheeks were blotchy and my hair was disheveled. I wet my face and dried it. Then I fixed my hair as best as I could without "hair tools," as I heard Ami once call them. What a loser. I thought about using the toilet, but I didn't want Sasuke to bitch at me for taking such a long time.

When left the bathroom, Sasuke examined me for a moment, and then said, "You still look horrible." What a jerk.

"Sorry," I said, not in the mood to fight.

He looked at me for a moment like he was about to override my apology, but he didn't. I followed him back to the computer lab, where we sat down in the same seats. I rested my head on the table.

"You had better not be crying again," Sasuke said in a monotone.

I lifted my head, a little agitated. "You can leave if you don't want to be here so bad." My voice sounded weak and lacked the attitude I wanted it to have. I put my head back down and waited for him answer. He didn't.

I figured he was going to leave and go back to English. Or he would just leave school all together. He wouldn't get in trouble. He was Uchiha Sasuke.

Why was he being such a jerk? Earlier, he was so nice to me, holding me like he did. He tried to comfort me although he didn't know how. I really thought that he was a sweet guy inside. Yeah…right…

I missed Neji. We used to do EVERYTHING together. If Ino never came to our school, Neji would have probably been there trying to tell me something that would make me feel better. He wouldn't tell me how horrible I looked or warn me not to cry anymore. I missed him so much that I started to cry again.

My tears were silent and I hoped Sasuke would either not notice or leave. He sat quietly, unmoving. I wished he would have stopped sitting there and did something.

"Sakura." His voice was very quiet. "Stop crying."

I tried to look like I didn't hear him.

He touched the ends of my hair, so gently that it seemed he didn't want me to notice. I focused my senses on his fingers. I couldn't feel his hand for a second and then I felt it again at the base of my neck. He ran his hand down my hair so lightly I could barely feel it.

As he continued to stroke my hair, he asked, "Why is your hair pink?" I have no idea!

He twirled a bundle of hair between his fingers like he was examining it. "Your mother has deep purple hair, as does your brother. And your father's hair is brown." He switched back to stroking my hair. "Where did you get pink hair?"

I lifted my head to look at him. He quickly pulled his hand back. "Does it run in the family," he asked,

I shook my head and felt the tears drying the light wind. "No one on my mother's side has pink hair that I know of. Same on my dad's side."

"Hn." He looked away. "Are you an illegitimate child," he asked in a straight voice. "Did your mother have an affair with a pink haired man and managed to have your father believe you were his? Or maybe the man your mother had an affair with had normal colored hair and was just a carrier for pink hair."

I doubled over laughing. Every minute I spent with him made him seem less and less like a god. He was a normal teenager who was sometimes a jerk…and happened to be the personification of beauty. Who would have thought that Uchiha Sasuke had an interesting imagination?

When I looked at Sasuke again I wasn't surprised to see no humor on his face. He still had a stoic look. I thought back to when Neji thought the boy in the college advertisement in my magazine looked like Sasuke. That boy couldn't _possibly _be Sasuke. He never smiled. He was never happy. What was wrong with him?

I rested my head on my arms against the table. I made sure to face Sasuke. After I took a nice look at him, I closed my eyes and planned to take a nap. Seconds later – it seemed like seconds; I later learned that I had slept for 20 minutes and Sasuke had decided that that was enough – I heard his voice tickle my consciousness.

"Sakura," he called.

When I opened my eyes, Sasuke's face was inches from mine. I was so startled that I screamed a little and threw myself back in my chair. My chair decided to be evil and fell back. We, my chair and I, landed hard on the floor. And when my head hit the floor, I thought I would die.

I felt Sasuke pull me out of my uncomfortable chair position and lay me flat on the floor. I opened my eyes and everything was unfocused.

When I could see straight, I blinked at Sasuke. "Thanks…" I started.

He sighed. "You're so annoying."

"Sorry," I said. It felt like my heart had relocated itself in my head and was beating hard in my ears.

"Can you stand up?"

I did. I was okay as long as I held onto his arm. He picked up the chair and then our books and headed out the door with me holding onto him.

"You're so annoying."

* * *

A.N: HAPPY belated BIRTHDAY, SASUKE!

So. I really have no news.

Well, actually. I saw one of the funniest SpongeBob episodes a couple days ago: "Boat Smarts." Crash dummy Squidward killed me!

Oh and this weekend I'm going to another anime convention in Hartford, Connecticut -- Connecticon! WOOT! I'm so excited! I better see an amazing Sasuke cosplay by a guy or I'm going to cry. I really wanna see a Vaan from FFXII cosplay too... I was thinking about going as Katara from Avatar (Hah, half of you are like, "BOO! Fake anime!!"), but I never started the costume and I wonder if I can do it in 3 days...

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Avatar: the Last Airbender, or SpongeBob SquarePants.

* * *

Chapter 11 Preview:

Your Kiss, Your Calls, Your Crutch, Like the Devil's Got Your Hand

"No, listen. I know how to diagnose a head injury."

He raised an eyebrow that said, "So what?"

I continued. "I'll tell you what to look for and you examine me."

He reluctantly nodded and sat me on the floor against some lockers. Then he sat in front of me. I couldn't believe that I had caused the Uchiha god to sit on ungraciously on a lowly, dirty public school floor. I was in awe and disgusted with myself at the same time.

_Edited 09.02.08_


	11. Your Kiss, Your Calls, Your Crutch, Like

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Krabby Patties would like to thank the following people for wicked thoughtful reviews:  
x.X.x.294x.X.x.X.x  
Tea (anonymous)  
Midnight Angel Sakura  
shatteredlife shiningspirit  
Le Pecore Nere  
Theblackroseofkonoha

Special, special thanks to:  
mystical spirits

Chapter 11: Your Kiss, Your Calls, Your Crutch, Like the Devil's Got Your Hand  
(formerly known as Nurse Uchiha)

Out in the hallway, he shoved our books in his nearby locker. He was pretty good at doing things with one hand as I kept his other arm out of commission.

My headache was so distracting, I didn't wonder why he knew where my locker was. But when I looked up, we were there.

"Do you need anything in your locker before we leave," he asked.

It took me a few seconds to understand the question. "Wait," I said, "where are we going?" I tightened my hold on his arm.

His eyebrows lifted a little and I swore I saw a glimpse of the boy in the Chihaya College advertisement. "To the hospital." I suppose he was startled that I didn't realize most people go to the hospital after a bad hit on the head.

"Oh, no, no," I stuttered. "Don't take me to the hospital."

Sasuke's face became emotionless again. "Why not?"

"I'm fine. The only thing wrong with me now is a bad headache."

He looked down at my grip on his arm as if saying, "Yeah, but you can't even hold yourself up, you loser."

"I'm fine," I repeated.

"No, you're not." He pulled me forward toward my locker and took hold of the lock. "Combination?"

"14-36-14. But really, I'm okay."

In a few flicks of his wrist the lock was open and then my locker was too. "What do you want out of here?"

"Just my backpack, I guess," I replied.

He silently took the item out and tucked it underneath his arm like I wasn't up to holding it, but the only things in it were my wallet and house keys.

When my locker was closed and he started to pull me down the hallway, I tugged on his arm, stopping him.

"Please, Sasuke-kun. I don't want to go to the hospital."

"I'm taking you anyway," he said tersely. If he was frustrated or annoyed with me, he hid it well.

"No, listen. I know how to diagnose a head injury."

He raised an eyebrow that said, "So what?"

I continued. "I'll tell you what to look for and you examine me."

He reluctantly nodded and sat me on the floor against some lockers. Then he sat in front of me. I couldn't believe that I had caused the Uchiha god to sit on ungraciously on a lowly, dirty public school floor. I was in awe and disgusted with myself at the same time.

"Okay," I began. "First, you check my vital signs, which are my blood pressure, pulse and respiratory rates, and temperature."

He opened his mouth and then closed it. Then he gave me a simple What-the-Hell look.

"So, I guess…you can't do most of that." I held out my left arm. "You can at least take my pulse rate. Just tell me if it's too slow or too fast."

He gently took hold of my wrist and my heart fluttered. He pressed two fingers to various spots on my wrist until he could finally feel my pulse the best. He looked up and watched my face, his expression unchanging. My breathing quickened and I was sure he could feel the sudden acceleration of my pulse.

He finally looked away when he let go of my hand. "It seemed too fast," he said.

I was sure that my fast pulse had nothing to do with my head injury do I continued. "Okay, now…I would have a concussion if…" I tried to get around my pounding headache to remember what I had learned from reading a medical-surgical college book for nursing. I recalled the paragraph on concussion. "Cerebral concussion is considered a mild brain injury," I quoted. "If there is any loss of consciousness, it is for five minutes or less. Concussion is characterized by headache, dizziness, or nausea and vomiting. The patient may complain of amnesia of events before or after the trauma."

I looked at Sasuke, who was waiting to finish this hospital appointment. "All right. Go for it, Nurse Uchiha." I smiled when he grimaced.

When he didn't start, I prompted, "Did I lose consciousness for five or less minutes?"

"I don't think so."

He stopped speaking again so waved my hand for him to continue.

"Tch. Do you have a headache," he asked softly.

"Yes," I admitted.

"Is it bad?"

"Kinda."

"Are you dizzy?"

"Yes," I admitted again, but he already knew that.

"Do you feel nauseous?"

"No."

"Do you remember everything that happened before and after you fell?"

I thought for a moment and there were no lapses in my memory. "Yes."

There was a moment of silence.

"Well." I started to help myself up, but Sasuke took hold of my arm and kept me balanced. "I'd say we officially evaluated that I don't have a concussion. And if I don't have a concussion I probably don't have anything worse then that either."

He threw me a skeptical look. "I'm taking you home and telling your mother."

"No! I don't want to go home. And don't tell her. She's just going to overreact."

He set his jaw and started down the hallway.

"Fine," I said, holding onto his arm again. "Take me home, but don't tell my mom I fell. And I promise to tell her if I wake up tomorrow with this same headache."

"Hn." I assumed he accepted the terms.

We stopped at the office. Sasuke took me to the desk and got the secretary's attention.

"I'm taking Haruno Sakura home. She is feeling dizzy and has a headache."

The woman examined me with maternal eyes. "You poor thing. Take some Motrin when you get home and go straight to sleep."

I decided to take the advice, minus the Motrin part; I didn't think that would help.

"Can we keep this off her record," Sasuke asked in a caramel voice. "She's a good student and wants to keep her record clean."

The secretary smiled and wrote something down on a pad of Post-It notes. "Of course."

"Thank you, Reika."

"Anything for you, dear."

.ZOMG.

"You're on a first name basis with the school secretary?"

"Hn."

"You're like a teacher's pet!"

"Hn."

"I bet all the teachers send you on errands."

"Hn."

"I bet Reika does too!"

"Hn."

"What's one thing that you can't convince someone in the school administration to do for you?"

Silence.

"Can you get them to change a D to an A on your report card?"

Silence.

"I bet you can. You have, like, the ability to _mesmerize_, you know that?"

"Hn.

"I think you're some sort of superhero with superhuman powers."

"Sakura, just take the damn ibuprofen."

I took the glass of water and the pills from his hands. After the medicine was in my body, I put the empty glass on my bedside table.

"Now, go to sleep," he commanded.

As he headed out my bedroom door, I asked him if he was going to back to school.

"No," he replied.

"Where are you going, then?"

"Home."

"Okay." I smiled at him. "Bye, Sasuke-kun. Thanks for all your help."

"Hn."

He closed the bedroom door and I settled into a more comfortable position in my bed.

* * *

A.N: Hey, everyone! Sorry this is a day late.

Story news: Newer readers may have been UBER confused when reading this story because of random jumps in the story without any breaks. Like, one paragraph Sakura's talking to Sasuke and then next paragraph, she's at home, chillin'. SO SORRY about that. Fanfiction Net removed my horizontal line breaks. When I posted the last chapter I went back to all the other chapters and put in my own breaks. So that problem is solved.

I'm sorry this chapter pwned in suckage. But to make it up to you people, Chapter 12 is absolutely my favoritest thing that I have ever written. It's twice the length of a normal chapter. And it really gets into the main plot...I think. Be excited for it. I am! I want to get it up as soon as possible.

Would it be mean to ask for 10 reviews before I post Chapter 12? Because I think I'm gonna do it. Sorry. No Chapter 12 until I'm at 77 reviews. (AGH! I FEEL HORRIBLE ASKING THAT!)

Connecticon News: So, it was pretty much own! There weren't any lines to get into any of the rooms inside the convention center. At AnimeBoston, there were lines for EVERYTHING. There were so many people there. Did I tell you I waited over 5 hours for a pass at AnimeBoston? I got to Connecticon at like 7 AM on Friday and waited an hour or so in a short line for them to open the doors and then it took about an hour to get my ticket, because even though I was near the front of the line, you have to consider the Pre-Registered Elite People who had to get in there before us and stuff.

There was an AMAZING Zack from FVII:CC cosplay! I stole a picture of him. He was with an Aerith cosplayer who, I have to admit, was REALLY good too. But I hate Aerith, so I didn't take her picture. And I got so many pictures of Avatar characters. :D Oh, and I didn't make the Katara costume after all. I found some pretty good GUY time-skip Sasukes. I stole they're pictures. But there were no Vaans!! :Sob:

I bought a "I heart Fanfiction" button and a SasukexSakura one, too. I'm proud to represent! But...alas, I lost my SasuSaku one on the way to work or something. I was pissed. And I also went to a Fanfiction 101 panel. I learned a TON of good stuff that I'm definetly going to put into consideration in this story. Like the uber disclaimer you'll see down there. I decided to hype it up.

Other News: Anyone read Fullmetal Alchemist? I just bought volume 15. WHAT CRAP! This is the most boring thing I've ever read! UGH!

Fanfiction removed my AMAZING Zoey 101 parody story, Zoey's Secret! I'm wicked pissed. I got so many flames on that story from Zoey 101 fans. That story was my pride and joy! UGH! And they said: Main reason for removal: "Not allowed: interactive, chat/script, real person, mst, and etc." WTF?! There was none of that in my story! I thought I could trust you Fanfiction dot Net! (By the way, what's mst?)

Sorry for such a long Author's Note. I just had a lot to say. :D

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its characters and plot lines. Naruto is copyrighted 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto. I also do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender and its characters, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core and its characters, or Final Fantasy XII and its characters. Concussion quotes from Introductory Medical-Surgical Nursing Eighth Edition by Timby and Smith and Understanding Medical Surgical Nursing Second Edition by Williams and Hopper.

* * *

Chapter 12 Preview:

What You're Selling I Won't Buy Anymore

"They're not a couple." That was the first time Neji spoke. His flat voice totally ruined the atmosphere.

"What?" Naruto yelled.

Neji looked at us. "It's obvious. They don't act like they're dating at all.'

What? Did Neji know? My heart raced. I wasn't afraid of what others would think so much as how angry Sasuke might get if people figured this out.

_Edited 01.29.09_


	12. What You’re Selling I Won’t Buy Anymore

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 12: What You're Selling I Won't Buy Anymore  
(formerly known as The First Kiss)

When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't find any trace of my headache. The back of my head was still tender from where I hit the ground.

Down stairs, my dad was talking loudly into his cell phone in his study. I was curious, so I snuck over to the closed door and listened.

"Make sure that blonde boy is paid by Friday or his manager is going to send in a letter of resignation," he said.

I tutted. Using the passive voice is incorrect language, Father, I thought.

"I don't care if Tenchi will not give you the money!" There was a pause. "Make sure you get that money. Do whatever it takes to get that money. Steal it if you have to!"

I pulled my ear away from the door. Why is it that I suddenly hear my dad saying things that definitely prove he's in the mafia? Why hadn't I heard any clues before? The thought of my dad getting someone to steal money for him made me sick to my stomach.

I skipped breakfast and began my walk to school. Never in my life had I wanted to turn around and miss school then on that walk. I should have just told my mom what happened. She would have kept me home for a few days. I couldn't face the kids in my English class again. The feeling was worse than going to a new school. I wondered if Sasuke would get me out of English again so I wouldn't have to face those kids. Probably not. Who was I to ask Uchiha Sasuke a favor? Every side street I walked by, I had to keep myself from walking down it and hiding.

I hadn't walked very far when I discerned some sort of animal was laying in the lane on the other side of the street I walked down. I stopped and looked from the sidewalk. It was a gray adult cat. There was a small pool of blood forming. It didn't look like there was a lot of damage was done to it, but it didn't move when car after car passed over it on the busy street. Its ears flapped in the wind of the cars. I assumed it was already dead.

But maybe the cat was still alive. That would be a perfect excuse to miss English… "I was taking an injured cat to the vet…" Even more than that, the cat didn't deserve to die that way.

I took the initiative and got ready to move the cat onto the opposite side of the sidewalk. Even if it was dead, it didn't deserve to be ran over and squashed. I didn't have any gloves (What kind of teenager carries surgical gloves around?), but I figured I wouldn't _die_ if I used my bare hands. I'd just stop at the coffee shop down the street and use their bathroom to thoroughly wash them. No big deal.

My only fear was being a bother of the traffic. There were lots of gaps between cars, but I felt they were too small for me to have enough time to do my task. I would take a step out into the street but then chicken out and step back. I figured this would take a while.

And then an SUV came and ran right over it. I watched the cat flail awkwardly and limply like a rag doll in the air and land grossly on the lines between the two lanes. Its head was crushed and so was its chest cavity.

I looked away. There was no point in moving it now.

I continued my solemn walk down the street and started to cry. I don't know why. I had no emotional attachment to the cat and I wasn't even thinking about my own fat cat at home, Figgy. And it wasn't because I had failed my mission. It might have been because I thought of the pain that cat had been through or maybe just watching the cat contort like it did when it was hit. No matter what I did I couldn't stop crying.

A black car pulled over beside me and I didn't acknowledge it until I heard someone call my name.

I stopped and looked. It was Sasuke. The dark passenger-side window was down or I wouldn't have been able to tell who it was. He was driving the same car from yesterday, a surprise to me. I blinked at him, tears still rolling down my face, and then kept walking. He followed me, driving along the sidewalk. When he called me again, I stopped.

"Get in the car," he ordered. And I did without thinking.

"Headache," he asked, trying to figure out why I was crying.

I shook my head.

"Stomach ache?"

I shook my head again.

"Dizzy?"

I shook my head for the third time.

"Did you eat breakfast?"

That was a random question. "No," I said.

"Tch." Without even seeming to look, he took the fastest U-turn I had ever seen or experienced and was driving in the other direction in a matter of seconds. He left behind honking cars as he sped down the street.

I clung to the sides of my seat, terrified. "What did you do that for?" I yelled at him.

He didn't answer. He eventually pulled into the drive-thru of Dunkin Donuts and ordered a bagel with cream cheese. When he received the bagel he had just paid for, he handed it to me and then we were back on our way to school.

I nibbled at the bagel, a little embarrassed. "Thanks."

We didn't speak again until he pulled into the school drive-way and parked in the teachers' parking lot.

"Sakura," he said, getting out of the car. I stayed in my seat. "Tell me why you were crying."

He walked to my side of the car and opened the door for me like that was what I was waiting for. I didn't move.

"Come on," he said.

I shook my head. "I'm not going in that school. Not after yesterday. No way." I could only imagine the whispers, pointing, laughing, staring… I didn't think I would be able to handle it.

"Is that why you were crying?"

"No… It's because earlier I watched a cat get run over." I started to tear up again. "I was going to help the cat, but then it got run over by a big, stupid SUV. I hate big cars!" The memory of the poor gray cat tortured my consciousness.

"Tch." Sasuke looked away as if he were disgusted.

I was full-on crying as I pulled my backpack on and turned to place my feet of the black top of the parking lot. But I couldn't force myself to get out of the car. The gravity of the school situation and the murder of the cat weighed heavily on my emotions. I was freaking out inside my head.

Sasuke must have caught wind of my internal struggle because he squatted down before me and took both my hand in his. My heart leapt.

"It'll be okay… Come inside. If I see someone making fun of you…I'll take care of it."

I stared at him with admiration. He was getting a LOT better at this stuff.

I nodded and he gently pulled me out of the car. When I finished wiping my eyes, he tucked me tightly against him under his arm.

Naruto, Kiba, and Shikamaru were talking just inside the school. As we walked by, they stared. I hid my face in Sasuke's side. He smelled _so_ good.

We continued down the hallway, upstairs, down a transit, up the stairs again, and finally down the hallway to our lockers. When people stared or started whispering or pointing, Sasuke shot deadly glares only a yakuza could have managed. Students cringed and looked away. I think one girl literally started crying.

A sophomore boy, Abumi Zaku, thought he could beat Sasuke. He held Sasuke's glare for a few seconds and then said, "What are you going to do about it, Uchiha? Sic Sakura on me? Have her cry all over me?" ((A.N: Zaku is that Sound kid who Sasuke pwns in the Forest of Death by dislocating his arms and stuff…I think.))

Like a bullet train, Sasuke had the boy up against the lockers, a dangerous look in his eyes.

"I can do things to you that they can't repair with surgery." He pulled three pens out of Zaku's pocket. "How about I shove these through your skull?" Zaku was violently shaking now out of fear.

Sasuke pressed one pen to Zaku's right temple. "One through here," he said in a terrifying whisper. He then moved the pen to the left temple. "One here." And he finally pressed the pen to the center of Zaku's forehead. The sophomore stared up at it, tears threatening to fall. "And one h—"

"I'm sorry!" Zaku said, tears running with his sweat.

Sasuke set him on the floor. "Don't apologize to me." He stepped out of the way to give Zaku a full view of me.

Zaku threw himself at my feet. "I'm sorry, Sakura-san!"

I looked up at Sasuke, my mouth open. He had a smug-looking smirk on. Normal people could not do what Sasuke could.

.ZOMG.

Sasuke walked me to my history class. Before he let me go inside, he held out his hand.

"Cell phone," he said simply.

I pulled it out of my pocket and placed it in his hand. He flipped it open, and I watched him punch in a number and save it under his name.

"If someone bothers you, call me, text me, or whatever." He closed the phone and handed it back to me. "I'll, uh…come to your rescue."

I put my cell phone back in my pocket and smiled at Sasuke. "I'm sure I won't need to. They were terrified in English. I think the whole school knows not to mess with us now because of what you did to Zaku."

He nodded, no humor on his face, as the bell rang.

I took a step into the classroom. "Well, bye, Sasuke. I'll see you later."

He nodded again and walked away.

When I walked into the classroom, I noticed the entire class was staring at me. I looked at them and they all immediately turned away. I knew no one was going to bother me. I checked in with Iruka-sensei to see what work I missed yesterday. I only missed some notes and there had been no homework. Nice.

I took my usual seat beside Neji. No one said anything to me, not even Naruto. It was silent as I pulled my notebook out to copy the notes that Iruka-sensei was writing on the board. I left a couple empty pages so that I could take down the notes from yesterday. And that was my first dilemma. Who was I going to ask for the notes? Hinata. She was kind and forgiving and right there in front of me. I couldn't see why she would say no. But have you ever been in those situations where you just can't force yourself to ask someone a question. I even counted down for myself, several times actually. But whenever I reached one I never had the guts to ask.

I decided I'd figure that out later.

My second dilemma was the date I was going to write at the top of my notebook page. My mind had been so preoccupied I really had no idea what the date was. It also would have been simple to tap Hinata on the shoulder and ask for the date, but I couldn't make myself do it.

Then I remembered that cell phones tell you the date. I pulled mine out of my pocket, but kept it under my desk so Iruka-sensei wouldn't see it. I pressed a button on the side and the preview screen lit up. It said that it was September 15th. I almost gasped audibly. It was only the second week of school! Yet, it felt like it had been weeks since the first day. So much had happened since that terrible Monday.

And then I almost gasped again. It was Kakashi-sensei's birthday! I only knew that because of how last year Kakashi forced the entire student body to sing happy birthday to him in the auditorium last September 15th. I decided to wish him a happy birthday in person later that day…unless he did something crazy again.

And that reminded me that next Wednesday was Shikamaru's birthday and I had no idea what to get him. I considered that dilemma three.

I wrote September 15th and the year at the top of my page (dilemma two solved) and began to copy the notes.

.ZOMG.

I pulled out my cell phone since I finished copying today's notes and opened a new text message. I began to type, thanking the cell phone companies for creating T9 Word to make text messaging a lot simpler and keeping you from sounding like a chatspeak idiot.

Hey, Sasuke. :)

I sent it to him and looked up. Neji was watching me. When he noticed that I had caught him, he looked away. Well, good. At least he knew that I chatted with Sasuke through text messaging. What's more romantic than that?

My phone vibrated and I checked my new text.

What?

Looked like Sasuke knew the wonders of T9 Word too.

Nothing. I just felt like texting you.  
So what are you up to?

As I waited for a reply, I could hear that Naruto and Kiba had started a conversation with each other. They were talking about the game last night, but I couldn't figure out which type of game that was. It was a boring conversation anyway.

The phone vibrated again.

I thought you were supposed  
to text me when someone was  
bothering you.

I replied:

Well no one's bothering me. :)  
And is it so wrong to text you  
just to say hi?

He replied:

Yes.

I laughed a little. Of course that was exactly the answer I was going to get.

I replied:

Did you know today is  
Kakashi-sensei's birthday?  
Let's go visit him after school,  
okay?

He replied:

Of course I know that. And  
Fine. But he's going to expect  
a present or something.

I replied:

Well, did you get him a present  
since you two are so close and  
sucheth?

He replied:

Why are you suddenly so happy?

Oh, way to avoid the question, Sasuke.

I replied with hesitation:

I don't really know. Maybe  
it's the thrill of being able to  
text you. It's romantic. And  
plenty girls would kill to be able  
to do what I'm doing.

His reply came quicker than the others.

Romantic?

I could just hear him scoff in my head.

I replied, grinning:

Yeah, it is. :3

"Who are you texting?"

I spun. It was only Naruto, being nosy.

"Oh, just Sasuke-kun," I said.

One of Naruto's blonde eyebrows rose slyly. "Oh yeah? Sasuke?"

I blushed.

Kiba leaned into our conversation. "What about Sasuke?"

Naruto answered before I could. "Sakura's texting him."

"Sasuke texts?!" Kiba's eyes were wide. "You sure have him on a leash, Sakura."

I blushed again.

"Isn't it n-normal for a girlfriend and b-boyfriend to t-text each other?" Hinata added softly.

"Yeah, I guess," Kiba said, disappointed.

My phone vibrated and they looked at me, waiting for me to read it. I blushed after I read it.

"What does it say?" Naruto nearly screeched, trying to see what message was on the phone in my lap.

"It says, 'Sakura, sit with me at lunch,' " I said, blushing scarlet.

Naruto and Kiba howled in laughter and made catcalls. Hinata giggled and I noticed that even Shino had turned around in interest. Neji payed us no attention as he stared out the window beside him.

"We still have three periods left and he's already thinking about sitting with you at lunch," Naruto said, laughing.

Hinata smiled at me, pressing the tips of her pointer fingers together. "I think th-that you and Sasuke-san are a cute couple."

I guess that my friends approved of my "relationship" with Sasuke. But weren't they there that day that I begged Sasuke to help me make Neji jealous? Didn't they know this was fake? I assumed they honestly didn't know.

"They're not a couple." That was the first time Neji spoke. His flat voice totally ruined the atmosphere.

"What?" Naruto yelled.

Neji looked at us. "It's obvious. They don't act like they're dating at all.'

What? Did Neji know? My heart raced. I wasn't afraid of what others would think so much as how angry Sasuke might get if people figured this out.

"What are you talking about," Shino asked.

"I don't believe Sasuke and Sakura are dating," Neji said bluntly. "They never hold hands. No one's ever seen them kiss."

"It's only been a few days!" Kiba said. I kept silent.

"So? Ino and I have—"

"Oh, please. Do not start telling us how many times you and Ino have made-out or something!"

Neji glared at Kiba. "All I'm saying is that I think Sasuke is only using Sakura to get rid of his fangirls. Otherwise, why would he date a girl like her?"

There were several gasps from throughout the class. Naruto almost launched himself at Neji, but Kiba held him back. Hinata handled it all when she slapped Neji straight across the face.

"How dare you, Neji-nii-san. How can you say something so low?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

Neji was in shock for a moment then he closed his eyes. "I'm not going to take back what I said."

I choked a little. Did Neji really think of me that way?

I stood up. "Neji, you're such a jerk!" And then I was crying again. I ran out the door, but there were no worries because the bell rang at that moment. I collapsed in a corner of the hallway that was between lockers and the last set of doors that led out to the stairs and the gym. People stared at me as they walked by, but I didn't care. Why was my junior year starting off like crap?

It's all Ino's fault, I thought. She ruined my life!

I pulled out my cell phone and searched for Sasuke's number in my contacts. When I found him, I called him.

He answered on the second ring. "What?"

I sobbed, unable to answer.

"What's wrong," he asked quickly. "Where are you?"

"Neji…he—"

Sasuke cursed after hearing that this had to do with his archrival. "Sakura, where are you?"

"I'm at the doors at the end of the history wing," I managed to say, "just before the gym."

Sasuke hung up. I assumed that, like Neji, he didn't say bye either.

I cried while I waited for Sasuke. A minute later, I knew he was on his way because I could hear people yelling at him for running and pushing. He almost ran right by me. When he saw me, he dropped his books on the floor and got on his knees. Then he grabbed me and hugged me tightly.

I had not been expecting that at all. It warmed my chest to know that even though I wasn't the girl you'd expect Sasuke to date, as Neji said, he _did_ like me enough to run after me when I called him in distress. In some way, I told myself, Sasuke did like me.

After I cried for a minute or two onto Sasuke's chest, he held my shoulders and pushed me away. "Now," he said, "tell me what happened."

I told him about Naruto and the text messaging. I told him how Hinata thought we were a cute couple. I told him what Neji said about us and what he really thought about me. And then I told him about Hinata hitting Neji and how Neji was such a jerk.

Sasuke's grips on my shoulders tightened. "I'm going to fucking kill Hyuuga," he hissed.

"I hope you don't mean Hinata." I smiled weakly.

We heard voices. "Neji, you are the biggest bastard of all time! You better apologize to Sakura-chan or I'll kill you!"

"Shut up, Naruto."

Neji and Naruto were heading toward us fast. I forgot that this was the way Neji and I usually walked to get to Pre. Calc., but Naruto was walking the wrong way to get to his English class.

I grabbed the sides of Sasuke's face, my eyes wide. I was in a state of hysteria. I had to be, because as I heard the footsteps coming closer, I pulled my face toward Sasuke's and I kissed him.

I kissed Uchiha Sasuke.

And he kissed me back.

We were full-on making out as Neji and Naruto finally walked by. They stopped and stared at us.

"What. The. Hell," I barely heard Neji say because I was too preoccupied.

* * *

A.N: WOOT! I'm so happy to get this up! I really, really hope that you guys liked it and that it didn't disapoint. :)

Thanks SO MUCH for all the WICKED AWESOME reviews! You people made me so happy! I was rushing to get this up because you all inspired me! THANK YOU!

Can I ask for 15 reviews for this chapter getting me up to 95 reviews in total? Please?

Anime Recommendation: I suggest that you watch The WallFlower. I watched episode 5 at Connecticon (I was too late for the rest of it.) and fell in love. This anime is so amazing! The dub is wicked too. So, technicalities: The WallFlower is a shojo anime (I guess...). It's pretty much a comedy and it's WICKED funny. I laugh so hard when I watch it. It has a little romance in it too (hence the shojo part). And the guys are so pretty. x3 It's...it's just great. Believe me. :D

Other News: Uh..anyone read Breaking Dawn yet? (Don't worry...This isn't a spoiler.) THAT BOOK WAS SO OWN!! Everyone's like, "The Twilight series is so predictable. But it's still so good." (One person that line came out of was the same person who also says that Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare is cliche. WTF?! TELL ME HOW THAT'S CLICHE?! SHAKESPEARE STARTED THE CLICHE! I wanted to sit said person down and have a loud and violent conversation with them about how much their statement does NOT MAKE SENSE!!) Anyway, did anyone predict that ALL THAT was going to happen in Breaking Dawn? I thought so. None of you. IN YOUR FACES TWLIGHT BASHERS WHO STILL LOVE THE BOOKS! Ugh. I can't wait until said person finishes Breaking Dawn so I can be like, "Yeah, so which parts of that book did you predict, HUH??"

Get me up to 95 reviews, my friends. :D

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its characters and plot lines. Naruto is copyrighted 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto. I do not own the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Chapter 13 Preview: (ZOMG!! Unlucky number!! xD )

I Won't Cross These Streets 'Till You Hold My Hand

I got up and walked around to Sasuke's desk. After placing my books on top of his, I settled myself in his lap. I grinned at Karin as Sasuke wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tighter against his chest, and then settled his chin on my right shoulder. She threw me a dirty look and took a seat near the front of the class.

_Edited 01.29.09_


	13. I Won’t Cross These Streets ‘Till You Ho

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 13: I Won't Cross These Streets 'Till You Hold My Hand  
(formerly known as XOXO)

The late bell rang and Sasuke managed to remove my grip from around his neck while keeping our lips locked together. Then he pulled away from me.

I opened my eyes and we looked at each other. His face was flushed and I imagined my face was even redder. I touched my lips. They were still tingling.

And then reality hit me.

"Oh my god…Sasuke-kun…" I was breathless. I couldn't believe all that happened in the five minutes between bells. "Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry. I didn't know—didn't realize…"

I waited for him to freak out on me, to get up and leave. He stayed, a hazy expression on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun," I started again. "I was freaking out. And Neji said that stuff about how we never kiss, so I thought—I shouldn't have, I'm sorry—if he saw us kissing that would solve everything. I didn't want you to be mad at me. I didn't want Neji to go around telling everyone that we weren't really going out and then you'd get mad because your chance to make Neji jealous was ruined. But that was stupid because of course you're mad now… I'm sorry…."

I hung my head and bit my lip. After the morning before in English class, I should have been immune to embarrassment. But that had nothing on the embarrassment I felt now.

"Sakura." His voice cracked in the middle of saying my name.

I looked up at him and ran a hand through my hair, trying to fix it.

"I'm not mad at you," he said.

"Thanks." I laughed a little and straightened my shirt. Then I examined Sasuke. His perfect hair was a little lopsided and his shirt was wrinkled too, but he still looked like a Greek god. And I still couldn't believe that I had made-out with that…holy being.

I looked around as Sasuke decided to straighten himself out. The hallway was empty. One girl walked by with a green pass in hand on her way to the bathroom. She stared at us with wide eyes, and it seemed as if she knew exactly what we were doing only a moment before. Then I wondered if the whole school knew yet.

Sasuke took hold of his books and then stood up. I copied him, but as we stood in the hallway together, I couldn't look at him. I was still too embarrassed. Even if he had pardoned me, I still felt like I had done a horrendous crime.

"What class do you have now," Sasuke asked. He was still running a hand though his hair and he still looked so hot.

"Pre. Calc. with Orochimaru-sensei." I kept my gaze at my feet. "Do you mind just walking me down there so I don't get in trouble for being late?"

"Yes," Sasuke answered bluntly.

" 'Yes' you do mind or—"

" 'Yes' I mind. I'd rather not see Orochimaru more than I have to."

I glanced up at Sasuke. He wasn't looking at me. He was glaring at the lockers. I was ecstatic that Sasuke had just shared a little of what he was feeling with me. But I had to wonder what about Orochimaru-sensei scared Uchiha Sasuke. Orochimaru was a creep, I admit that, but still… It didn't make sense to me.

Sasuke returned my stare and sighed. "Tch. Let's go ask Kakashi for a pass."

I nodded and followed Sasuke down the hallway.

.ZOMG.

Orochimaru-sensei stared down at my perfectly legitimate green hall pass.

He held it up. "What is this?"

"Uh…It's a pass from Kakashi-sensei." I thought Orochimaru was a genius somewhat. He never used calculators.

"Why are you late?"

"Kakashi-sensei gave me a pass, Orochimaru-sensei," I repeated like I was talking to a stupid small child.

"I know that," he snapped at me. I flinched and a couple people snickered. "What I am asking is why you are late to my class."

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, I was helping Kakashi-sensei move some books—"

"I_ believe_ this has something to do with that little _incident_ in the hallway between you and Sasuke-kun."

My jaw dropped. People knew already? And why was it that Orochimaru sounded like he was…jealous?

I was speechless. How was I supposed to get out of this?

Orochimaru-held his head in his hands and looked like he was under the weight of a great burden. "Just…sit, Haruno."

I raised both my eyebrows. What was this?! I didn't understand Orochimaru-sensei at all. Then again…who did? Probably only Tsunade-sama. Oh, and maybe Jiraiya-sensei…the creeper.

In a daze, I took my seat behind Neji and between Kiba and Shino.

Kiba leaned over and whispered, "What a pansy."

I giggled and pulled my cell phone out. I planned to spend my entire math class texting Sasuke and trying to figure out why he was afraid of Orochimaru.

.ZOMG.

Finally, fifth period came. I hadn't seen Sasuke since he went with me to get a pass from Kakashi-sensei and now I had study with him. I already told him how schizo Orochimaru-sensei was in math through texting, but I could wait to ask him about Oro-sensei in person (he wouldn't answer me anytime that I asked) and plan with him about Neji.

Our study was just a couple rooms down from my French class so I got there pretty early. Yet, Sasuke was waiting for me outside the door.

"Oh! Sasuke-kun!" I took his wrist and dragged him into the back corner of the class. We sat in two desks there. Neji came in soon after because we had the same French class and sat as far away as possible from us.

Good. Because we couldn't have him listening in.

Sasuke pulled out his cell phone and checked the time, a bored look on his face.

I began, whispering. "We need to do more stuff to make Neji believe that we _are_ going out."

Sasuke looked at me. "Like what?"

I smiled sheepishly. "Girlfriend and boyfriend stuff. Like holding hands and giggling and cuddling and sharing food and whispering in each others ears."

Sasuke grimaced.

I laughed. "Sorry, Sasuke-kun," I continued to whisper, "but we have to do that in order to make Neji jealous."

"No."

"Sasuke-kun," I whined. "We need to!"

"Tch."

I sighed. "Look, I know I'm not the prettiest girl you could be doing this with so I'm kind of an embarrassment to you so I'm sorry about that—"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto ran over and hugged me around the neck. "I was supposed to be your first kiss! Not Sasuke!"

Yeah, well, Neji was supposed to be mine. Can't get everything we want in life.

"That was your first kiss," Sasuke asked, a little annoyed. Probably because of Naruto.

I nodded, blushing.

"It's not fair," Naruto cried dramatically, letting go of me.

"Shut up, idiot," Sasuke said, massaging his temples.

"You shut up! You stole Sakura-chan's first kiss! She's not my innocent little Sakura-chan any more!"

"Idiot."

"Bastard!"

"Idiot."

"Bastard!"

Sasuke didn't reply because he was glaring at someone at the door. Karin had just walked in and was headed this way.

"Forehead, you're in my seat." Karin stank of recently applied body spray. It was overwhelming.

I grinded my teeth. "It doesn't matter where I sit, Karin. I'm staying here."

"No you are not," Karin sang evilly.

"Sakura, get up."

I turned to look at Sasuke. I thought he was on my side! Before I could whine at him, he patted his lap. He had the expression of someone who had just tasted something bad, but I could see that he wasn't joking.

I got up and walked around to Sasuke's desk. After placing my books on top of his, I settled myself in his lap. I grinned at Karin as Sasuke wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tighter against his chest, and then settled his chin on my right shoulder. She threw me a dirty look and took a seat near the front of the class.

I placed my hands on top of Sasuke's. "Thanks," I said softly. He didn't reply.

Naruto jumped into the seat I has just left and whined. "Sasukeee! Get your dirty hands off of Sakura! Don't touch her like that!"

"Tch." Sasuke ignored Naruto's request and instead he kissed my neck. I shivered and turned red. I could then feel his lips curl into a smirk.

"Sasukeee!" Naruto screeched again. "Pervy Sage! Tell Sasuke to stop molesting Sakura-chan!"

I was so glad Jiraiya-sensei was our teacher because this was totally inappropriate behavior and he could care less. Actually, he was probably enjoying this.

"Shut up, Naruto. And stop calling me that." Jiraiya continued to read the newspaper.

I laughed. Now I was glad Sasuke got me to go to school today.

I took a peek at Neji. He was watching like most of the class was. He had a dark look on his face as he turned away and started to work on some homework or something.

"Sasuke-kun," I whispered.

"Hmm?"

"It's working. Neji looked kinda jealous."

"Good."

I laughed again.

.ZOMG.

Sasuke and I walked together to our lockers and then down to lunch. We held hands the entire trip. And I couldn't stop smiling. I was so happy. Uchiha Sasuke was holding my hand! Little pangs were sent through my stomach every time I thought about it. But—I was pissed at myself for this—I still wanted Neji to be the one holding my hand.

When Sasuke and I waited in the lunch line, we both didn't speak. I was sure Sasuke was fine with that. I took the time to think about what Neji had said about me. Did Neji _really_ think of me that way, even after all the years we had been best friends?

Or was he just—I was delighted to think it—jealous?

I snorted at the thought and quickly covered my nose and mouth in embarrassment with my free hand. Thinking of Neji as a jealous person was so unbelievable that it was funny. Sasuke looked at me, but didn't question. Instead he turned away and squeezed the hand he was holding.

But then I thought, maybe Neji wasn't trying to be a jerk. (Hah!) Maybe what he meant was that I really wasn't the type of person Sasuke would date. I could definitely see Sasuke with a blonde, curvy girl or a petite girl with long, straight, black hair. Not a girl like me.

.ZOMG.

Sasuke and I sat down at his lunch table where my tree people joined us. I had a ham and turkey grinder and a bag of potato chips, which Sasuke had insisted on buying.

"Don't boyfriends buy their girlfriends' lunches?" he had said, smirking, when I refused that he pay for me.

"I guess some do," I had replied. It still felt kinda nice that he would offer that.

And Sasuke had the same grinder-chips combo. At first, he didn't want to get a lunch because he never eats at school, but I had insisted. So he bought one. I didn't understand why he even went to a public school with public school lunches. He'd fit in perfect in a private school, with his expensive shoes and cars and all.

I set down my sandwich. "Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?"

"Why do you go to a public school? Don't you have enough money to go to a private school?"

"Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing," Chouji said. His mouth was surprising empty.

Sasuke gave us emotionless looks and opened his math book, refusing to answer. He left more than half of his food untouched. Chouji took this opportunity and stole Sasuke sandwich and unopened bag of chips. I realized then that Chouji's mouth had been empty because he had eaten all of his own lunch. Naruto started screeching about how gross it was to eat "that bastards" leftovers.

I lifted the front cover of Sasuke's math book, which was easy because I was sitting to his left.

"Algebra II?" I read. "You're only in Algebra II?" A lot of juniors were in Algebra II, but they were the ones who got Cs and below in math in middle school, so the math teacher recommended that they take algebra again in ninth grade. I had expected Sasuke to be good at math since he was good at absolutely everything else. It surprised me to see that he was in the class below me.

Sasuke sent me a dark look and pressed the cover out of my hands and to the table.

"Sorry," I said, munching on my chips.

I became curious again and peeked at the notebook Sasuke was writing in. He was working on perfect right triangles. I remembered doing that last year when I took the class. I also remembered them being easy, but Sasuke looked like he was having a hard time.

"That side is twelve inches," I said, pointing to triangle Sasuke was working on.

Again, Sasuke gave me a dark look, but he wrote the answer down. "Why," he asked, surprising me.

"Because of the Pythagorean Theorem. You know, A-squared plus B-squared equals C-squared?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if you plug in those numbers into the equation and then solve using algebra, you get that answer."

Sasuke didn't say anything. He just passed his notebook and pencil to me. I wrote out the work for that problem.

"Five-twelve-thirteen is a perfect right triangle. Since I saw that the two numbers they gave you were five and thirteen, I could see that the missing side had to be twelve." I looked at Sasuke to see if he was getting this. Nope.

"Uh…okay, let's use the Pythagorean Theorem. A is five, we're trying to figure out B, and C is thirteen. So, five-squared plus B-squared equals thirteen-squared. Now, if we square five that makes twenty-five and thirteen squared is…" I thought for a moment, calculating in my head.

"One-sixty-nine," Shikamaru answered in a lazy voice. Half of his body was resting on the lunch table. Did he have to sleep where people were eating?

"Thank you, Mr. Know-It-All." I furiously wrote that number down. Before I continued, I looked at Sasuke again. "Do you understand so far?"

He looked at me blankly and then answered in a low voice, "A little. You're going too fast."

Naruto burst out laughing and Sasuke slammed his math book shut. "Sasuke's stupid in math!" Naruto mocked.

Sasuke sharply stood up and walked away. I glared at Naruto and followed Sasuke, not before slamming my fist onto Naruto's head and politely throwing Sasuke's and my trash away.

I ran to catch up to Sasuke and took his hand in mine. It felt pretty normal to me to hold hands with him. I didn't know how Sasuke felt, though. "I'm really sorry about that. It was my fault." Sasuke didn't reply. He just gripped my hand hard and looked pissed.

I took a deep breath and asked, "Doesn't Orochimaru-sensei explain this to you? Have you tried going to extra help?"

"No. I'm not spending any extra time after school with that fucker." Poor Sasuke. He must have been really embarrassed and he must have really hated Orochimaru.

"But…he may help—"

"Orochimaru doesn't help me. He doesn't explain anything to me."

"Oh."

I didn't know where Sasuke was going, but I stayed with him. We walked down a transit and took the door that led outside into the Quad, named so because it was surrounded on all four sides by two school walls and two transits. This was where the scene kids and the emo kids hung out during lunch, nothing against them. There were a couple trees out here that daring couples hid behind and made-out. There were teachers that were on the look-out, but they were often distracted by their students that had conversations with them.

Sasuke took me behind one of those trees and we sat down. Maybe he shouldn't have come out here because people started talking.

"Omigod, Sasuke-kun is out here!"

"Let's go talk to him!"

"Sasuke-kun came out with Haruno Sakura. What's up with that?"

"They're going out. Duh."

"No way!"

"Why is Sasuke going out with _her_?"

"I don't believe it."

"Hyuuga Neji said today in History that he doesn't believe they're really going out. I kinda agree with him."

"Me too."

"That Sakura girl isn't good enough for him."

"I know!"

I grit my teeth. I could handle this. It was high school, for god's sake. Everyone talked about _everyone_ else. This was perfectly normal.

Sasuke took my face in both of his hands and made me look at him. I wondered what he was doing. What ever it was, I hoped it would help convince these people that we were going out.

"Sakura." The look on his face was purely sincere that it shocked me. "I love you no matter what other people think of you."

Uh, yeah.

That's what he said.

No lie.

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped. I couldn't believe he had said that any more than you can or other kids in the Quad could. He had "confessed" in a low voice with a voice so pure that I decided Sasuke was the best actor I had ever seen. I assumed everyone in the Quad heard him, and if they didn't, they were going to be told right after the shock went away.

Was I supposed to say "I love you" back? Or was I supposed to start crying and kiss the heck out of him? Sasuke—gotta love that guy—saved me the humiliation and pressed my face gently to the side of his neck and then hugged me tightly.

.ZOMG.

In Vertebrate Anatomy, Tenten gave up her seat so that Sasuke could sit next to me. Kimimaru-sensei didn't seem to have a problem with it.

And no one started whispering or staring when this happened. It was like my class had just accepted that we were boyfriend and girlfriend, probably because of Sasuke's confession. I wondered if the whole school was going to be like this. That would have been excellent. The more people convinced that we were dating, the more reason for Neji to believe it and the more reason for Neji to be jealous. Then Neji would break up with Ino and confess to me. Then we'd get together and Sasuke would be happy that Neji was jealous of him for a while. A happy ending.

The more I thought about it, Sasuke wasn't really getting anything out of this. Fangirls didn't seem to bother him so much, but wouldn't that end when Neji and I got together. I started to feel like I was totally using Sasuke.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Sasuke had probably noticed my depressed body language: a frown and my chin resting on my folded arms on the lab table.

"Nothing," I whispered back. "But I did decide that I'm going to tutor you in math." I smiled. That was a good conversation changer.

Sasuke didn't smile back. "Okay."

.ZOMG.

Jiraiya-sensei was lecturing us on the pros and cons of metaphors. Creative Writing was like a second, more fun English class, but it was supposed to be easy, so most of my friends signed up for it.

I day-dreamed during that class. All I could think about was the way Sasuke's fingers felt on my face and neck during that kiss earlier today and how sincere he sounded when he was "confessing" out in the Quad. I couldn't get Sasuke out of my head.

It was a pretty uneventful class, until there was a knock on the door. Jiraiya asked one of the students to open the door and Kakashi-sensei, followed by Sasuke, entered the class.

Jiraiya-sensei set down the marker he was writing on the board with and greeted them with a welcoming smile. "Kakashi! How are you?"

When I saw Sasuke, I couldn't help but smile. It felt like the atmosphere had totally shifted. I waved at him from my desk and, to my surprise, he waved tersely back. He sent me a smirk that said, "Wait 'till you hear what I did."

Kakashi's eye closed for a moment in a returning smile. "Fine, thanks. I have a favor to ask."

"Yes?"

"Can Sasuke switch into your class? He and Neji caused a nice disruption in my Journalism class."

Naturally, Naruto was curious. "What did the bastards do?!"

It was obvious that Kakashi-sensei was grinning again. "Oh, just a little row over Sakura-chan. I thought it would be best if they were moved to different classes, because I don't think this type of thing will stop happening as long as Sakura and Sasuke are dating."

I blushed when most of the class turned to look at me.

"That's it, Sasuke," Naruto asked. "Did you hit him?"

Sasuke nodded. "Broke his nose."

I laughed a little. I loved that instead of taking Sasuke to the assistant principal or something, Kakashi was just taking him to a new class.

"Well, Sasuke, welcome to Creative Writing," Jiraiya said. "You can take that seat over there." He pointed to an empty desk that was diagonal to the back of me. I was satisfied with that.

"Thanks," Kakashi murmured and walked out, closing the door behind him. I noticed him pull his favorite book out of a pocket on the way out.

As Sasuke was walking by me, he stopped and kissed my forehead. He smirked when I turned bright red and took his seat. I decided Sasuke was pretty happy about punching out his archrival.

My heart skipped a beat and I hyperventilated a little. Sasuke was acting like a perfect boyfriend. Were all Uchihas good at absolutely everything (except math)?

And then I wondered why it felt so good. Sasuke was just doing what we had planned, act more like my boyfriend. It was all _pretend_. _Fake_. An _act_. But, why did it feel so real?

* * *

A.N: ZOMGWTFBBQ!! 120 review?! I love you guys. I mean it. I L-O-V-E you guys. You hold a special place in my heart right next to my good friend who bluntly told my ex-best friend that her recently dyed black hair looked bad (which it does). THANK YOU.

Can I ask for 20 reviews getting me up to 140 reviews total before the next chapter? And I hope to get the next chapter out a lot sooner than it took to get this one up. Sorry.

Senior year sucks: I started school August 26th. Yup. And guess which idiot signed up for three AP classes. I'm going to wilt away by the end of the year. And I don't think colleges want to give you a higher education; they just want your money. It costs money to send in an application. It costs money to take the SATs. It costs money to take the SAT IIs. It costs money to send in your SAT scores. It costs money to send in your SAT II scores. It costs money to take an AP exam. It costs money to send in your AP exam scores. I hate this. I haven't acutally applied to anything yet, but I'm not looking forward to it.

So, what the heck was the reason that I just told you all that? That was for the underclassmen who are excited to be seniors. Nah, son. This sucks. I'm just praying for a million snow days that I won't have to make up at the end of the year because as a senior, I get out (ONLY) 10 days earlier that the younger kiddies. (Last year it was at least three weeks earlier.) To sum it up, school sucks.

Tomatoes?: I've always wondered why Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction always have Sasuke loving tomatoes when nowhere (from my knowledge so please correct me if I'm wrong) in the acual series does it ever mention Sasuke liking tomatoes. Well, I KNOW WHY!! I've actually known for a while... But it's because in the Official Naruto Fanbook Handbook thing, Sasuke is "interviewed" and he says he enjoys tomatoes because they give him extra energy for training. Well, now you know if you didn't before.

September 11: Not only is that Patriots Day. And not only is that the day the Twin Towers fell (God bless the families of the victims). And not only is that day next Thursday. It's my birthday. :D

20 reviews, brah!

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its characters or plot lines. Naruto is copyrighted 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Chapter 14 Preview:

If Love is a Labor I'll Slave 'Till the End

A minute later, he brushed the hair resting on my shoulder back so it fell with the rest of my hair. I looked at him. He was smirking.

"I don't work for the mafia. I know you're thinking that," he said.

I smiled back. Then I pretended to be angry with him and stuck my nose in the air, folding my arms across my chest. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever."

_Edited 01.29.09_


	14. If Love is a Labor I’ll Slave ‘Till the

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 14: If Love is a Labor I'll Slave 'Till the End  
(formerly known as I'll Think of a Snappy Title Later)

After school, Sasuke and I went to visit Kakashi-sensei. We opened the door to his classroom, assuming he was the only one in there reading or something. Instead we opened the door to a serious birthday party. There were a ton of teachers in the room and a table had been pulled in that was covered in sweet things like cake and brownies. In one corner, Gai-sensei was singing his heart out into a karaoke machine.

I blushed when the teachers ended their conversations to look up at us, but Sasuke seemed perfectly at home when he took a water bottle off the table and took a drink from it.

"Sorry," I said. "We just came to see Kakashi-sensei. Uh, we'll talk to him tomorrow. C'mon, Sasuke." I took hold of his forearm and started pulling him toward the door.

Sasuke pulled me back when Tsunade-sama came stumbling over. "Sakuraaaaa!" She was drunk. Of course. That was all she did. Drink. Oh, and gamble. "Don't goooo, Sakura. You can stay! I give you permission!"

I grabbed Tsunade when she looked like she was going to fall over. "But, Tsunade-sama, this seems like a staff-only party…"

Her head lolled around and I assumed she was trying to shake her head. "I'm the principal of this school, dammit! And I say it's fiiiine. Besiiiides, you're my favorite student, Sakura." I didn't know what that last part had to do with anything, but I decided to stay.

After I set Tsunade-sama down in a desk next to Shizune-san, Tsunade's assistant, I joined Sasuke at the refreshments table. "Cake?" I picked up a piece of already sliced cake and held it out to him.

Sasuke didn't even look at it. "I don't eat sweets."

"Oh." I smiled anyway and took a bit of the cake myself.

Sasuke walked away. It seemed like he was heading for Kakashi-sensei, so I followed him. We squeezed by Jiraiya-sensei who was creeping around and talking to the younger female teachers.

When we reached Kakashi-sensei, he was reading what looked like a new volume of Make-Out Paradise. I felt bad interrupting, but…

"Happy birthday, sensei!" I smiled widely at him.

Kakashi looked up from his book at us. "Thank you. I see you got some of that cake."

I nodded.

"It's good, huh? Asuma made it."

I didn't know what Sasuke was talking about; Kakashi didn't look like he was expecting a present from us.

Sasuke pulled something out of his front jean pocket and handed it to Kakashi. "Get the Make-Out Paradise Movie yourself. I'm not walking out of a store with that." It was a gift card to Best Buy.

Kakashi-sensei took it and I could tell he was smiling. "Thanks, Sasuke."

"It's from Sakura, too."

"Oh!" Kakashi smiled at me. "Thank you, too, Sakura."

"Y-you're welcome," I replied. Well, that was surprising. At least, I got out of buying Kakashi a present myself.

Sasuke and I moved to an empty corner in the classroom when Iruka-sensei came over to speak to Kakashi. Sasuke pulled me closer with a hand on my waist when a group of teachers pressed in on us. This place was packed. I could hardly breathe when Sasuke kept his hand there.

"S-sasuke-kun…thanks for earlier with the present."

"Hn."

I offered Sasuke a piece of my cake on my fork. "Are you sure you don't want any?"

His fingers moved their position on my waist and I held in a gasp. He nodded.

"Fine. But it's really good. I didn't know Asuma-sensei cooked so—"

I stopped when Sasuke did take the forkful of cake from me. When he swallowed—I enjoyed watching Sasuke chew—he said the expected: "I don't like it."

I laughed. "Well, I guess you wouldn't like it unless you did like sweets."

"Well, aren't you two such a happy couple." It was Jiraiya-sensei who had popped up behind us with a hand around both our shoulders. Creeeeper. "Tell me, is it true two have gone all the way?"

I blushed. "No, that's not true!"

"We're leaving." Sasuke pulled me away from Jiraiya and headed toward the door.

"Wait!" I yelled. "Can I grab a couple brownies?"

Sasuke let go of my waist so I went and picked up four brownies. I was grinning when I followed Sasuke out the door.

"Do you like chocolate, Sasuke?"

"No."

"What _do_ you like?"

"Tomatoes."

.ZOMG.

Sasuke and I used a side door that led right out to the teachers' parking lot. After we were in the car, Sasuke asked, "Am I driving you home?"

I realized I never actually asked for a ride home and I felt really rude. "Well, if it's okay…"

"Whatever."

We pulled out of the parking lot and I snacked on my brownies.

"Are you sure you don't want any brownies?" I held out a piece of brownie that I had already bitten out of.

"Yes."

"Okay, well, these are pretty good too. _Better_ than that cake."

"Tch."

I laughed when Sasuke didn't take the bait.

Soon, we were at my house and Sasuke decided to stop at the curb instead of pulling into my driveway. Just incase my mom came home, of course. I got out of the car.

"Thank you so much, Sasuke-kun!" I was about to close the door when I remembered something. "Oh! Do you want to start that tutoring today," I asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm busy." Doing yakuza stuff, I bet.

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll see you tomorrow! Bye!"

As Sasuke drove away, I walked up my house. After I was inside and had taken my shoes off, I noticed I was the only one home. That was normal. I walked into the living room and threw myself on the couch. I ate the rest of my brownies while I watched a Gossip Girl rerun. I loved that show. Chace Crawford was pretty hot.

"Not as hot as Sasuke, though," I said aloud.

I started laughing at something funny that Rufus said and then suddenly stopped. 'Not as hot as Sasuke'? I couldn't believe I had said that. Normally, I would compare guys to Neji, but Sasuke now? I was loosing my mind.

I shut off the TV and pulled out my mp3 player. I turned the music up as loud as my ears could handle without dying and spread out on the couch. I think I fell asleep because the next thing I can remember was Daisuke shaking me.

"Sakura! Look at my hair!"

I did. Daisuke had gelled up his dark violet hair to look almost exactly like Sasuke's spiky 'do. I was impressed. I didn't know an eight-year-old could do something this well.

"Wow, Daisuke! How long did it take you to do this," I asked, turning my music _way_ down.

He smiled smugly, a proud twinkle in his eyes. "Not long. Just—Hey! Don't touch it!" He smacked my hand, which was reaching for it.

"Sorry." And I couldn't help but laugh.

I pulled out my cell phone and focused it on Daisuke. "Let me take a picture of you." I turned his head a little to the side so there was a better view of the entirety of his hair. He put on an expression that said, "Bitch, I'm cool." I laughed again and snapped a picture.

I lowered my phone and I reached out a hand again. "Just let me touch it a little!"

"NO!" Daisuke ran away.

I was giggling as I sent the picture to Sasuke. I couldn't wait to see or hear what he'd have to say about my little brother wanting to be just like him. I got a text message from him a couple seconds later. It only said:

Why?

I laughed and replied:

Daisuke thinks you're the greatest,  
I guess.

I turned my mp3 player off and headed for the kitchen. Daisuke was sitting at the table doing homework and my mom was talking on the phone to someone. When she saw me, she told whoever she was speaking to that she'd call them later and hung up.

She dramatically set the cordless phone she was using in its docking station. "Sakura."

I sat down at the table where there was sliced cantaloupe set out in a bowl. "Yeah?" I answered and took a piece.

"I heard you and Sasuke—"

"Is he coming over?" My brother had a wide, excited smile on his face.

"No, he isn't," I answered. I couldn't help but smile back.

Daisuke's smile disappeared and he started back on his homework.

My mom came over to the table, her arms folded over her chest. "I heard that today you and Sasuke were doing it in the hallway at school between classes."

I raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused. "Doing what?"

"You know, Sakura. Doing the deed."

"Doing the deed?" I repeated.

"Yes. Fornicating, making love."

My jaw dropped. "Mom, we were not having sex!"

"Eww!" Daisuke jumped up and ran out of the kitchen.

My mom shrugged. "That's what I heard."

I got up. "Mom, I don't know where you heard that, but it's entirely wrong! We would never do something like that!"

She tried to look innocent. "Isn't it normal for two teenagers going out these days to—"

"No, mom! Who do you think we are?!"

"Well, Sasuke seems like the type of person who would—"

"He's not! Tell your _sources_"—I snarled at the word—"that all Sasuke and I did was make-out in the hallway." I stomped out of the kitchen and up the stairs to my room, but not before taking a detour to grab my backpack out of the living room.

The first thing I noticed in my room was something out of place on my dresser. I walked over and noticed that my bottle of gel was completely empty and there were gross splotches of dried up gel all over my things on the dresser.

I growled and pulled my bedroom door open. "DAISUKE! GET UP HERE!"

He ran up the stairs and appeared in my doorway. "What?!"

I pointed to my dresser and held the empty bottle in his face. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID! CLEAN IT UP!"

"NO!" Daisuke ran out of my room.

"MOM," I screeched. "DAISUKE USED UP ALL MY GEL AND GOT IT ALL OVER MY STUFF!"

"Tell him to clean it up," my mom yelled back.

"I DID! AND HE DIDN'T EVEN ASK TO USE IT!"

"YOU WEREN'T HOME," Daisuke yelled from his room.

"SO WHAT?" I threw the bottle down on the floor and headed for Daisuke's room. "C'mere, you little…"

Daisuke screamed and ran down stairs. "MO-OM! SAKURA'S GONNA KILL ME!"

.ZOMG.

The next morning, I was putting eyeliner on when I heard a knock on the front door. I grimaced. Who the heck would visit this early in the morning? I stuck my head out my door, listening for when my dad answered it.

"Uchiha-san. Good morning. What are you doing here?'

Uchiha-san?! Sasuke was here?!

"I'm here to pick up your daughter," I heard Sasuke say.

"Of course. Come in and sit down."

"Thank you, Haruno-sama."

I slowly closed the door, thinking. What was Sasuke doing here? I mean, besides picking me up? That was kind of awkward.

I continued to get ready for school and tried to keep from rushing, but I couldn't help it. I was running down the stairs in a matter of minutes, dragging my backpack behind me.

I booked it into the living room. Sasuke, oh Sasuke, was sitting by himself on the big couch. He looked so amazing. I was sure he hadn't done anything special this morning, but I couldn't help but admire that this beautiful being was sitting in my plain old living room.

My dad was standing in a corner, trying to subtly speak on his cell phone, and my mom was trying to stuff several types of "gourmet" coffee cakes down Sasuke's throat.

"I got them at Kiryu's!" my mom kept saying. "Please! Sasuke-san! Eat one!"

Sasuke was totally ignoring her; he had his eyes closed and was leaning his head against the back of the couch.

"Hi," I greeted.

Everyone looked up at me. Sasuke jumped up and took hold of the sides of my arms. He stared down at me for a long time. A minute or two at least. His eyes held mine and my heart felt like it was trying to beat itself out of my chest. Then he turned abruptly and headed for the door.

"Let's go," he said.

I grabbed two coffee cakes from my mom's golden platter and followed Sasuke. "See you later," I said to my parents, waving.

Sasuke had a new car. Of course. I wasn't the biggest car fanatic, but I could tell that this car was _so_ nice. I could picture Bruce Wayne driving around Gotham City in this car. It was black and every curve seemed to run together, making the car look seamless and smooth.

On the third step off the landing, I had spotted the car for the first time. I froze and my jaw literally dropped.

"What is that," I asked in a breath.

Sasuke smirked at me. "Do you like it?"

"Duh."

He took my elbow and led me to the passenger side of the car. "It's an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish 2007. A little old for my taste, but—"

I widened my mouth at him. "Are you serious? I think most people have cars from the early 2000s or late '90s."

Sasuke shrugged and opened the door for me. "I don't."

I looked down the street before I got in. The two guys our age who lived across from each other were standing on the sidewalk on one side of the street. I could safely assume they were staring at the car and were probably speaking in car-talk right now. I could at least tell they were impressed.

I sat down in the car. It smelled like Sasuke. I guessed Sasuke had been on a long trip in it or spent a lot of time in the car recently because it didn't really have that new car smell.

After buckling up, I turned to Sasuke. "I don't want to inflate your ego any more than needed, but Sasuke…this is a wicked nice car. Like, _wicked_ nice."

Sasuke didn't look at me, but I could see him smirking.

He pulled away from my house and I continued to speak to him. "This must have cost a fortune. Don't even tell me how much it costs; I'm sure it's ridiculous. Are you sure you're allowed to spend this much of your parents' money?"

"I don't have full access to my parents' money until I turn eighteen." Sasuke was still smirking and I knew he couldn't help it. "I bought this mostly with my own money and a little of the monthly stuff I get from my parents' accounts."

"_Your own money_?! That's crazy! Sasuke, what kind of job do you have?! Do you think they'll hire me?"

His smirk faded and he didn't answer. He couldn't tell me, his own "girlfriend," that he worked for the yakuza? I stared out my window, silent now. Who was I kidding anyway? Sasuke didn't trust me that much.

A minute later, he brushed the hair resting on my shoulder back so it fell with the rest of my hair. I looked at him. He was smirking.

"I don't work for the mafia. I know you're thinking that," he said.

I smiled back. Then I pretended to be angry with him and stuck my nose in the air, folding my arms across my chest. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever."

.ZOMG.

Sasuke didn't want to go to his house for tutoring after school and he especially didn't want to go to my house—my mom still freaked him out—so he took me to Ichiraku. Once we had received our bowls of ramen, Sasuke pulled out his math book and notebook. He looked at me, waiting.

I had never tutored before; although teachers had asked me to before, I flat out refused. "Well, let's do your homework and see where we get. What do you have?"

Sasuke pulled out a worksheet. "I have to do all the problems on this side."

I raised my eyebrows at Sasuke. It was about 35 long problems. "What the hell? Orochimaru-sensei never gave us this much work!"

"He gave the rest of the class half of it to do, but he decided that I needed the extra work. He said he wouldn't give me full credit unless I came in with all of it done."

"He hates you. This is ridiculous." I scanned the worksheet and slid it to his side of the table again. "All right. Try number one?"

Sasuke nodded and took the top off his pen. I ate while I watched him work. It made me really sad watching him struggle. It was like watching a three-legged kitten walk around the kitchen. You feel like giving up your leg so that it could walk normal again. And Uchihas were supposed to be good at everything.

He bit his lip—something that made him seem really defenseless—while looking over what he had written and then passed his notebook to me to check his work.

I looked it over. "Sasuke! This is right! See? You can do this." I returned the notebook.

Sasuke sipped on his glass of water slowly, while reading the next problem. He looked at me. "How do I do it with decimals?'

"The same exact way," I replied.

He didn't get the right answers on the next eight problems, but after I really got him to understand how to do it, he started doing the right stuff. Occasionally he would get the wrong answer with the right work because of a simple math error, but he started to do the problems faster and got more correct answers.

Sasuke was sailing smooth until we both heard a loud girl walk in. We both looked to the door and there was Ino and Neji, hand in hand. Sasuke didn't waste any time closing his notebook and I didn't waste anytime pushing my bowl away and getting out of the booth. He took my hand in his free one and we booked it out of the restaurant. Sasuke told the waitress as we passed by to put the bill on his tab.

I glared at Ino as we walked out the door and spared Neji one look. His nose was pretty swollen and there was a dark red cut on the right side of his nose and a shorter cut on the left side. Looked like Sasuke got him good.

"Hey, Billboard Brow," Ino said.

"Hey, Ino-pig," I acknowledged. I thought it was pretty good for an on-the-spot nickname.

Sasuke and Neji didn't look at or speak to each other, but Sasuke's grip on my hand was killing me.

Outside, I placed my other hand on top of his. "Sasuke, calm down."

He realized what he was doing and dropped my hand like I had electrically shocked him. We were silent as we got in the car until I laughed suddenly.

" 'Put it on my tab'? I thought people only said that in movies and stuff. I can't believe it."

Sasuke didn't say anything, but I could tell he wasn't pissed any more.

* * *

A.N: Um, is it okay for me to tell you that I love you guys?

Because I do.

And I love this story.

I am so sorry it took me forever to get this up. I was working on college application crap. The good news is I'm all done with them! And I feel really bad for adding that wicked depressing note last chapter about senior year sucking. I'll tell you the good parts of senior year now, if you'd care to read.

The Good Things About Senior Year: The teachers (SOME teachers) really treat you like adults. My teacher tells my AP French class all the gossip about teachers and about her life and really trusts us with keeping her secrets. And teachers (SOME teachers) understand that you won't do stupid stuff that freshman do. (No offense, freshman. But honestly, you guys do some stupid stuff. _I_ did stupid stuff when I was a freshman.) Up here in Massachusetts (I hope I spelled that right) we just had 8 days out of school because of a wicked bad ice storm. Just about everyone lost power, some for a week or more. There were tree limbs EVERYWHERE. And a few of the high schools in my city were used as shelters for people without power. So ultimately, we had a wicked long holiday break. And because I'm a senior, I won't have to make up those days at the end of the year! (Unless they make us go to school on Saturdays. If that happens, I swear I'm moving to Tennessee the day I hear about it.) Also as a senior at my school (other places too I bet) you have the ability to do work outside of school at a job for a credit the last period or periods of the day. Also a lot of my friends that have studies last period just leave school instead of going to their study. That's not allowed, but no one's stopping them.

What else can I tell you? Well, last night I went to a concert. It was a The Acacia Strain DVD shoot and Whitechapel, The Red Chord, and some other bands I don't remember opened for them. It was awesome! Let me tell you, if you have never been to a screamo concert, you have not lived. Especially if you haven't been to one that's in a smaller concert hall place. None of those big stadiums. Even if you hate screamo, you just need to go to a concert once. The hardcore moshing is flippin' amazing. If you're at the edge of a moshing pit you have to like hold out your fist or your forearm so the psycho moshers don't crash into you, or punch you, or kick you. It still happens sometimes though. And when your in with all the other hundreds of people, you lose your footing all the time. You step on everyone's feet. It's perfectly okay to push people away from you. And it's okay if someone pushes you to push them back.

It's so easy to lose your friends because of how compact everyone else and all the pushing so you have to hold on to your friends at all times. It's nice to go with a guy too because they'll like push everyone away to get you over to them. And it's nice to be a girl because the guys are usually wicked nice to you. If you want to get out of the pit with all the people and a guy you don't even know notices they'll get you out, no matter who they have to push out of the way. The bad part is litterally 7 crowd surfers like landed on me, I nearly lost my glasses on the floor of the pit so I had to stick them in the front of my shirt in my bra, when someone in the pit farts life sucks until the smell goes away, some guys get wicked sweaty and it sucks to be right up against them without a choice, and...I think that's it. But really, there's so much energy in the pit. It's just so great. Even if you don't know any of the bands (like me--I only knew Whitechapel but only one song).

Also, I'm obsessed with the group 3OH!3 right now. Look them up. Now.

And I've seen the Twilight movie 4 times now. If you saw the Twilight movie and hated it to death, please, PLEASE just see it one more time. It's sooooo much better the second time.

Thanks for reading if anyone read all that.

Oh and if anyone got a little ticked about making Sakura like Gossip Girl, you need to read this. I'm trying to make Sakura like stuff that she would if she were real. And honestly, does Sakura seem like a hardcore goth, or rocker girl, or scene kid, or emo kid, or ghetto girl in the Naruto series? It bothers me when people make her that way, but whatever, that's their story. And a lot of them are wicked good. I think Sakura would be a girl that cares about what she wears and tries to wear what every one else is wearing and I think she would watch Gossip Girl. (To tell you the truth, I HATE shows like Gossip Girl. Degrassi SUCKS. The OC SUCKS. But I like Gossip Girl. I prefer SpongeBob. I would never read the Gossip Girl books, but I like the show. Try it out once if you haven't already. Break some boundaries of whatever group you feel you're part of. I just told you that I went to a screamo concert and now I tell you I watch Gossip Girl. I broke some boundaries.)

You know what? I'm not going to even ask for a certain number of reviews before I get the next chapter up because of the obnoxiously long Author's Note I gave you. I'll put it up as soon as possible.

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its characters or plot lines. Naruto is copyrighted 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto. I do not own Gossip Girl. Gossip Girl is owned by Cecily von Ziegesar and The CW. And I do not own the V12 Vanquish. It is a product of Aston Martin...I think.

* * *

Chapter 15 Preview:  
These Children Learn from Cigarette Burns, Fast Cars, Fast Women, and Cheap Drinks

A hand grabbed hold of my face, covering my mouth and muffling my scream. Another arm wrapped around my waist from behind me and brought me against the attacker's chest. I started thrashing about.

"Shh," Sasuke whispered in my ear. "It's me. Just me."

He let go of me and I spun around. "Sasuke, how can you be so calm?!" I was screeching now. "You killed someone! I knew you were a yakuza, a murderer!" I pulled out my phone. "I have to call someone." I looked back up at Sasuke. He had no expression on his face. "What am I still doing here?! I have to go. I need to get out of here." I started rushing toward the doorway to the other room.

Sasuke stopped me and grabbed hold of my face. I screamed again and clawed at his hands. "Get off me!"

_Edited 01.29.09_


	15. These Children Learn from Cigarette Burn

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 15: These Children Learn from Cigarette Burns, Fast Cars, Fast Women, and Cheap Drinks

That weekend it took me forever to fall asleep every night because I kept thinking about Sasuke. And when I did sleep all I did was dream about Sasuke. It was weird.

.ZOMG.

You know how when you're pissed at a friend, but you don't want to let them know because you don't want to start drama so you just let it go and hope they won't notice, but that friend knows you so well that they do notice and ask what's wrong and you always answer, "Nothing"? I sort of fell victim to that Monday morning.

When Sasuke picked me up, I couldn't look him in the eye. I had had a particularly embarrassing dream about myself and him that made me blush every time I thought about it. I knew Sasuke knew something was wrong even though I tried to pretend he wasn't noticing. I didn't speak to Sasuke until he asked me what was wrong.

"Nothing!" I replied. That wasn't a surprise.

He narrowed his eyes at me and then returned his gaze to the road.

He touches her bare back with his fingertips. The feeling of his fingers blocks out the feeling of the prickly grass on her skin. The heat she feels where her skin touches his makes her feel like she is on fire.

"I love you," he whispers for the fourth time over the sound of the birds and the bees in the meadow. He caresses her naked side.

"I love—

"—you, too."

"What?" Sasuke was looking at me, an annoyed expression on his face.

My eyes shifted around but never looked at Sasuke. I blushed a dark red when I realized I had spoken aloud, especially in context of that dream. "S-sorry. I was just talking to myself."

I needed to stop remembering that dream. It was extremely embarrassing and untrue. Sasuke and I were never going to have steamy sex in some random meadow. If it totally didn't look ridiculous, I would have literally slapped some sense into myself.

"Sakura." Sasuke sounded pissed. I glanced at him and he looked it, too. "Tell me what the hell is wrong with you."

"It's nothing. Really."

"No, it's not. Stop lying to me and tell me right now."

"Sasuke-kun, you never tell me what you're thinking or feeling when I ask, so why should I tell you?" I thought that was a pretty good argument.

He took unnecessarily sharp turns to get around a car that was waiting to take a left turn. "That has nothing to do with this."

"Yes, it does! You're not being fair at all!"

"I'm not being fair?! You're yelling at me because I was just concerned!"

"I'm not yelling! You are!"

"No, I'm not!" He sounded like he was about to burst into flames.

"Yes, you are! And I don't have to tell you anything that I don't want to!"

"Then, neither do I." He got me there, so I stayed silent.

He took such a quick right turn into the parking lot that I slammed into his shoulder. He swerved a little to the left, but then he evened the car out and pulled into his usual spot. We were both seething.

I noticed two heads pop out of one bush and three pop out of another. "Some girls are watching us," I said trying to move my lips as little as possible.

"So what?"

"So, we need to stop looking pissed and look like we love each other."

I turned to face him and he copied me. I smiled and his face became expressionless.

"Good," he asked.

"I guess."

He sighed a little. "I won't be in school today, so you'll need to get a ride from someone else or walk home."

"Why not," I asked. I was still angry with Sasuke so I didn't want to feel it, but I was disappointed.

"I have an appointment."

"What kind of appointment?"

"Don't worry about it."

"You couldn't plan your appointment some time other than school?"

"No."

"So, is it a really important appointment?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Is it a doctor's appointment? Are you dying, Sasuke-kun?"

"No."

"Then what's the appointment for?"

"If I wanted to tell you all about my appointment, I would have already."

My God… When Sasuke's pissed, he's really pissed. And it's not the greatest feeling if you're the one he's pissed at.

"Get out, Sakura," he said in a strained voice.

I glanced at the girls in the bushes. "Kiss me first."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at me.

"You need to kiss me goodbye."

"No." Jeez, he doesn't need to be so blunt.

I sighed. "Just kiss me on the corner of my lips."

We stared at each other for a moment. Then Sasuke pressed his lips to the corner of mine. He touched my cheek with his fingertips and I felt myself burn up. When he pulled away, I blinked for a couple moments and then touched the door handle.

"Bye," I breathed, opening the door.

"Bye," he replied and put the gear into reverse.

I watched him pull out and drive away and then I headed for the nearest door to the school.

.ZOMG.

At lunch, Naruto asked me where Sasuke was.

"I don't know," I said. "He had some sort of appointment."

Kiba slammed his can of soda down on the table like the judge in a courtroom. "Are you kidding?! That's mob lingo for: 'I have to kill somebodeh'!"

I sighed.

"How could you let him go? You're his girlfriend, Sakura." Kiba pointed at me. "You're supposed to have him under control. You're supposed to know what he's doing with his life."

"What if he really just has a doctor's appointment for, like, his annual physical?" I didn't know why I was defending Sasuke.

"Then you should know that!" Naruto was on Kiba's side apparently.

"So are you calling me a bad girlfriend?"

"No!" Naruto said.

"Yes!" Kiba said at the same time.

I gave Kiba a look. "Thanks." I got up and threw my lunch away. "I'm sure Sasuke would love to hear about this when I call him later."

I began to walk away, but Kiba stopped me, just like I wanted. "Wait! Are you gonna tell him I think you're a bad girlfriend?"

I turned and grinned at him. "Yup."

He jumped up. "No! He'll kill me! I'm sorry!

I ignored him so he chased after me. "Sakura! Please! I'm sorry! Pleeease!"

.ZOMG.

After school, I had nothing else to do, so I went to the tree. I felt a little awkward and nervous as I walked across the grass lawn to the tree because I hadn't been there in days. Naruto, Hinata, and Shino were already there. I didn't expect Neji or Ino to be there and they weren't.

"Hey, guys," I greeted.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Shino said.

I laughed nervously. "Yeah… I've been…busy."

Naruto began hysterically laughing. "Yeah. Busy tutoring Sasuke in math 'cause he's stupid!"

I glared at him and he stopped laughing.

"A-are you planning o-on staying," Hinata asked.

I turned to her. "Yeah, I guess. Why?"

Naruto just about leapt into the air. "We're going to play Apples to Apples!"

I grinned. "Nice! I love that game."

When Kiba arrived with the game and Chouji, Tenten, and Shikamaru following, we began. Apples to Apples is a game where you match nouns to an adjective. Each player gets seven red cards, the nouns, and then each player takes a turn flipping over a random green card, the adjectives. The other players choose one red card (which can be famous, people, places, or random objects) out of their hand that they think best matches the adjective and places it face down against the green card. The judge, the player who flipped the green card, chooses their favorite red card and whoever's card that is, gets the green card. Whoever has the most green cards, wins. It's wicked easy to play.

Kiba was the first judge. He picked the top card on the face down deck. "Firm," he read and then continued to read the synonyms that were on the card, "Definite solid sturdy."

Naruto and Kiba began chuckling together, the dirty scumbags.

I looked at my hand and placed Lindsay Lohan face down because I thought Kiba would think that was funny.

Kiba began collecting the red cards. "Do I have everyone's cards?" Everyone nodded so he began reading the cards. "Patrick Swayze." He chuckled a little and placed the card down in front of him on the grass. "My Appendix." (The cards that say "My…" apply to the judge's.) Kiba laughed. "Spork… What the hell?"

We all laughed. "What's the description," I asked.

"A fusion of fork and spoon. If they could add a knife, you'd have a knorkoon!"

We laughed again.

Kiba continued, "Lindsay Lohan, Belly Dancers—" Naruto stopped him and asked for the description. "Performers famed for their navel maneuvers." Then he read the last card. "All-Nighters." He held the card in the air, laughing. "Who's is this?

"Mine!" Naruto grabbed the green Flimsy card and high-fived Kiba. We all picked another red card from the face down deck to keep up the seven cards you're supposed to have at all times. Kiba put the red cards from that turn in a discard pile.

It was my turn. The green card I picked was, "Massive."

Everyone laughed and I put that card back in the box. "No. We're not using that one." I pulled an illegal move and picked another green card. It was Macho: chauvinist cocky masculine. There was a little laughter and everyone chose their nouns.

I read the cards off. "Spooning." I laughed. "That is not macho! Turkey Baster. An Octogenarian—" I threw that card down. "I don't even care what the other cards are. Octogenarian wins." It was Shino's card.

"What's an octogenarian," Naruto asked.

I read, "A person who is between 80 and 90 years of age. They do not have 8 legs."

.ZOMG.

I got home around four because our Apples to Apples game got pretty intense. Kiba won because he knew how to make every card dirty which in turn made them funny. Hinata announced that she wasn't feeling very well so she went home early.

"Kill the lights  
These children learn from cigarette burns, fast cars, fast women, and cheap drinks  
It feels right  
All these asphyxiated, self-medicated; take the white pill, you'll feel all right," Naruto had sung to her.

We had given him strange looks.

"What?" he had said. "Can't I sing a little 3OH!3?"

When I walked into the kitchen to get something to eat, my mom grabbed me. "Go upstairs and get ready," she told me. I looked her over and noticed that she was wearing a skinny knee-length black skirt and a ruffled black and white polka-dotted blouse.

"For what," I asked.

"For the dinner at your father's office. Hurry up. We're leaving at 5:15" She pushed me toward the exit of the kitchen.

I put on a nice outfit and did my hair and headed back downstairs. I was surprised to see that my little brother kept doing his hair like Sasuke's. My stomach clenched when I thought about Sasuke and when I remembered how his fingers felt on my cheek.

When we arrived at the modeling agency, where my father worked, we got the pleasure of walking through the shooting area on the way to the banquet hall. The banquet hall was less "banquet hall" and more "function room." Every year the annual dinner was held there and it was kind of like a dinner held in a church gym converted into an eating establishment by sticking tables and chairs in the room. In other words, it was, like…pseudo-fancy.

My mom loved watching the beautiful models spin and pose under the strict direction of the photographers and their agents. Most of the time these models were posing around the city, but some stuck around the agency. My father tried to get me to model a couple times and I did and hated it. I don't care how much the photographers love my pink hair—never again.

A sharp voice caught my attention. "Come on! Just let me take a couple pictures of you!"

No, I wasn't being asked, but Sasuke was. Or at least I thought it was Sasuke. He had the same spiky hair and figure. He stood the same way, too, like even if he did care what you were saying, it wasn't important enough for him to stand like he cared. But when I called out to him, his head twitched a little and he stood more erect, but he didn't turn.

"No," the boy growled. He sounded like Sasuke and every other male his age.

I turned away and jogged a little to catch up with my mom and Daisuke. That guy was Sasuke. There was no doubt.

.ZOMG.

I walked away from Tenten toward my seat after the bell rang, ending our conversation. I slammed my books down beside Sasuke's arm. We were in Vertebrate Anatomy.

Kimimaru-sensei placed a hand on my shoulder. "Please don't do that again, Sakura." He pointed at my books.

"Sorry—Sasuke-kun." I spun away from the teacher and jabbed a finger at Sasuke. "What were you doing at the agency yesterday?" I had been holding in the question all day and I couldn't hold it in any longer.

Sasuke didn't even look up at me once the entire time I was there. "I was not at the agency yesterday," he said slowly.

"Yes, you were." I took my seat beside him.

Sasuke huffed and turned his body away from me.

"Sasuke-kun," I said low because class had started, "I know you were at the agency. Don't lie to me. I saw you."

He turned to look at me now. "You couldn't have seen me because I wasn't at the agency yesterday."

"Why can't you just admit it? You're a model, aren't you?"

"I'm not a model."

"Then you're a yakuza?"

"No." Sasuke death-glared me. I thought I would die.

"It's okay to be a model. That's nothing to be embarrassed about."

I could tell Sasuke was holding an outburst in.

"But it's not okay to be in the mob. You—"

"If you two can't keep it down, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Kimimaru-sensei was standing over us, spinning his bone dagger threateningly.

"Gladly." Sasuke picked up his books and the sweater hanging over the back of his chair like a whip and exited the classroom.

I didn't know if I was supposed to follow him or not, but I figured since he was pissed off at me enough, I should just stay here. I put my head down and hoped that would make me a harder target for the class to stare at.

My phone vibrated and I saw a new text message from Tenten.

Wat happened

I texted her back.

I was trying to figure out if  
Sasuke was a model or a yakuza.

After I sent the message, I wondered if Tenten even knew what I was talking about.

She sent:

Wat?!?! A model?! R you serioues?

I chuckled a little at the way she misspelled serious.

Yeah. And Sasuke and I have been  
fighting a lot lately to tell you the  
truth.

Uh oh thats not good

.ZOMG.

And it got worse.

Sasuke didn't show up seventh period, Creative Writing. Tenten and Naruto kept bothering me, trying to figure out if I knew where Sasuke went after our little row the period before. (Naruto was there, too.)

I texted Sasuke, asking where he was, and he didn't reply.

So after school, instead of heading straight for Sasuke's car, I went to the tree. Tenten, Kiba, and Naruto were competing to see who could climb to top of the tree the fastest. It looked like fun so I took Hinata's arm for a moment.

"Come on," I said, grinning.

We started our climb. Shikamaru, Shino, and Chouji stayed on the ground and discussed some new video game that just came out.

Hinata and I stopped climbing not too far off the ground, just over seven or eight feet maybe. We looked up at the boys and Tenten, who had reached the farthest point they could climb. They waved and called down to us.

"Climb up here!" Tenten yelled at us. Hinata and I shook our heads, thinking she was ridiculous.

I looked to the ground when I heard Sasuke's voice. "Have you seen my girlfriend?" He was asking the guys on the ground. My heart skipped a beat hearing him call me his girlfriend.

Chouji pointed up at us in the tree. "She's up there."

Sasuke looked up at me and raised a questioning eyebrow. Oh my God, he was beautiful.

I smiled at him. "Hey."

He held out his arms. "Jump. I'll catch you."

I honestly considered it for a moment. I had no doubt Sasuke could catch me, but I climbed out of the tree instead. He put an arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head, and then led me down the hill to his car.

In the car, Sasuke told me that we were going to his house for tutoring because some guys were going to be fixing a pipe in his basement and he needed to be there. I got wicked excited. I had never been to his house or even near it. I didn't even know where it was.

There was a three minute drive though the Uchiha grounds to get to Sasuke's actual house. It looked exactly how I expected it would. It was enormous, probably even bigger inside. There were columns and ivy. It was a pretty gothic place and looked ancient. We had driven by many other houses, big and small, that the rest of the Uchiha family had probably lived in, and this building made the rest of the homes look like serf residences on a lord's manor.

We parked outside of what I thought was a garage door. It was so similar to the rest of the wall on this side of the house I wouldn't really tell. Sasuke pointed out a side door and told me that he had to check something out front.

I stepped in the house through the door that Sasuke had unlocked for me. The room I now stood in was small, some kind of sitting room I guessed. In the corner by the window was an antique Go board with two pillows set out on either side of it. I squatted down beside it. The board was covered in dust. I drew my finger across it and blinked at the dust collected on my fingertip.

I looked away and bit my lip. Poor Sasuke, he probably never touched this board. I mean, who would he play with? I just couldn't fathom that type of loneliness.

I got up and headed into the next room. I heard my scream before I knew I was screaming, something I had read about but never experienced. There was a knife covered in dark red blood sitting carefully placed on the coffee table in this room and next to it was an actual severed hand. It was like a scene out of a movie.

A hand grabbed hold of my face, covering my mouth and muffling my scream. Another arm wrapped around my waist from behind me and brought me against the attacker's chest. I started thrashing about.

"Shh," Sasuke whispered in my ear. "It's me. Just me."

He let go of me and I spun around. "Sasuke-kun, how can you be so calm?!" I was screeching now. "You killed someone! I knew you were a yakuza, a murderer!" I pulled out my phone. "I have to call someone." I looked back up at Sasuke. He had no expression on his face. "What am I still doing here?! I have to go. I need to get out of here." I started rushing toward the doorway to the other room.

Sasuke stopped me and grabbed hold of my face. I screamed again and clawed at his hands. "Get off me!" He continued to gently say my name until I stopped screaming at him.

"Sakura," he said, "calm down. I wasn't me. I didn't kill anyone."

I pointed at the coffee table. "Then what's that?! What is that?!"

"Oh, sorry. That's mine."

Sasuke let go of my face and I turned. Standing there in the doorway like he owned the place was Itachi, the man who killed his own family, whose face was plastered all over streetlight poles, who had a TV special all about him on the local news station. He was like an older Sasuke but with longer hair in a pony tail and painted black finger nails. I couldn't stop staring at his eyes for some reason. Standing next to him was a man who looked like a fish, like a shark or something. He was holding a big hairy sword—at least I think it was a sword—that he propped up against a couch like it was an everyday item.

Itachi picked up the knife, one of those daggers that has teeth on one side, and started cleaning it on a hand towel you'd find in a bathroom.

He took a step toward Sasuke and I. Sasuke put an arm around my waist and held me in place just as I thought about leaving again.

"She's pretty," the shark guy said.

Itachi turned his head to the shark guy and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, little brother. Is she your girlfriend?"

Sasuke didn't answer. The calm face he had moments before was now furious.

The shark guy scratched the side of his face—Are those gills? "I'm Kisame," he said, looking at me. "And this is Itachi." Who else could it have been?!

Itachi looked at me with those piercing eyes. "Nice to meet you—?"

"I'm not telling you my name," I snapped. I regretted it instantly and drew closer to Sasuke. He responded by holding me tighter.

"What the fuck are you doing here," Sasuke demanded. I had never seen Sasuke so angry. Ever.

"When I told you we were going to the Land of Water for a couple months"—Itachi stepped closer—"that was a little lie."

"Yeah." Kisame said, taking a seat on the couch. "This punk we do business with tried to get out of paying us. We had to find him and punish him. It wasn't easy."

I looked at the hand and Itachi moved into my line of sight. "Wondering if that's his hand," he asked me. "It's not. That belongs to another guy who thought he could start shit with us and get away with it."

Sasuke wasn't a yakuza. These guys were.

I pushed away from Sasuke and took a step toward the doorway that led to the room with the Go board. "I need to get out. I need—"

When I turned, Itachi was there, holding the hand in my face like a toy. "Don't leave on my account."

I fainted into Sasuke's arms.

* * *

A.N: Honestly, how many of you were dispointed that it wasn't Sasuke who killed anyone? I'm sorry... Really, I'm so excited to finally get this out. I planned this scene out such a long time in advance. Anyway...I'm not sure if I want Itachi to play a bigger role in this or not... We'll see. But no worries, there will not be a SasukexSakuraxItachi triangle.

So, I'm extremely sorry if that last scene was not intense enough. I was going to bring that scene to my Literary Club and ask for advice on it, but the Lit Club teacher wasn't in school the day Lit Club normally is (Tuesday). I decided you all deserved this chapter so I put it out instead of waiting another week. I'm still going to bring the scene to Lit Club and get advice. I'll let you all know next chapter if I decide to edit this one and make it better so you can go back and read it if you want.

I recently got into this thing where I love making a line or a couple lines of a song the chapter of a title, as you may have noticed above and as you will notice below. I went back and changed the titles of all the chapters to lines that I love from random songs. Except the names in the chapter drop down menu are the same because, to change them, I'd have to delete them and re-add them. If you recognize the names please review or whatever and tell me what song it came from. :) That would be awesomeness. No Googling!!!

I'm so sick and tired of all this snow. STOP SNOWING. Legit, they're making us go to school on a day we normally wouldn't because we've had too many snow days. I'm pissed.

SasuxSaku fluffiness next chapter!

Yeah... There was some other stuff that I was going to tell you...but I forget. It probably wasn't important anyway. (It never is.)

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its characters or plot lines. Naruto is copyrighted 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Chapter 15 Preview:

Can You Feel My Trigger Hand, I'm Moving Further Down Your Back

He held out an arm without moving any other part of his body. "Come back to bed. You were warm."

My stomach did a somersault. I knew it was late and I should be interrogating Sasuke about this whole situation, but how could I say no to that? How could _anyone_ say no to that?

I walked to the other side of the bed and climbed back in. As soon as Sasuke felt me, he gripped the back of my shirt and pulled me toward him. Then he hugged me tightly, but comfortably, with that arm. I heard (and felt) him sigh deeply. I hackin' loved Sleepy Sasuke.


	16. Can You Feel My Trigger Hand, I’m Moving

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 16: Can You Feel My Trigger Hand, I'm Moving Further Down Your Back

I woke up and was very confused.

The bed I lay in was not my own. The pillows were overly fluffy and the design on the comforter was tacky. The comforter matched the tacky edging on the walls. I had to be in a hotel room. There was no way someone's own bedroom could be this tacky.

I ran a hand through tangled hair and glanced to my left. And then I just about shot out of the bed. Sasuke was sleeping beside me.

His mouth was slightly open and his hair and bangs almost covered his face entirely. It was so adorable, I just wanted to hug him. But I was too confused to leave him like that.

I shook his shoulder. "Sasuke-kun," I whispered, "where am I? What are we doing here? What is going on?"

Sasuke's eyes squeezed shut for a moment and then he opened one to look at me. He groaned. "Go to sleep, Sakura."

"No. Sasuke-kun, what is going on?"

Sasuke groaned again, louder this time, and rubbed his eyes. "Please… Go. To. Sleep." He wrapped an arm around me under the blankets and pulled me against him. "Now, shut up."

I sucked in air. Sasuke and I were sleeping together. Sleeping. Together. TOGETHER.

"Sasuke-kun." I touched his face.

His closed eyes squeezed again and he scowled. "Go back to sleep."

I closed my eyes, rested my forehead against his chest, and placed my arm around his body like a hug because I had no where else to put it. I started to remember what happened last night. I returned to consciousness a little bit after I fainted and Sasuke carried me to his car although I could have walked. After setting me in the passenger seat, he drove and drove. The last things I remember were the endless highway and the pissed-off look on Sasuke's face. I must have fallen asleep then.

"Sasuke-kun." I waited for him to answer. He didn't so I continued. "Where are we?"

He shifted a little and got a better hold on my waist.

"Kumogakure," he grunted.

"You drove all the way to Lightning Country?!"

The expression on his face looked like pain. "Yes. Go to sleep."

"Are you kidding?! We're in Kumo?! You must have driven all night and wicked fast!"

"I did. So I'm tired. Let. Me. Sleep."

"Wait. Why are we here?"

I waited and Sasuke shifted again before answering. "I wanted to get you away from Itachi. I didn't think he would do anything to you, but it was a precaution."

"What about my mom and—"

"I called your mother. She knows everything."

"Even about Itachi?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you call the police? Why did you just stand there and—"

"Sakura, please," he begged in a strained, tired voice. "We'll talk about this later."

I sighed and rested my forehead again. I thought about how I was in a bed, resting against Sasuke and grinned. And I must have fallen asleep soon after.

.ZOMG.

When I woke again, Sasuke was still sleeping. I didn't how long we had slept for this time, it felt like at least an hour. I felt an urge to check the time.

Gently, I reached and touched my back pocket. My phone was still there. I guess Sasuke didn't want to touch me there; I noticed he had pulled off other stuff you don't normally sleep with: my shoes, sweater, whatever. Not my cell phone, though.

Anyway, I pulled it out and checked the time. It was 12:09 PM. I never slept that late and didn't feeling in the least bit tired anymore. And I had to pee.

I was going to wake Sasuke up, telling him that sleeping until noon was unacceptable, but he looked so serene that I couldn't. So I slowly lifted his arm, the one on my waist, and inched out. Sasuke suddenly exhaled deeply and pulled me back. He was still asleep.

But I really had to pee. I tried to pull away again and his death grip tightened. I had to wake him up.

"Sasuke-kun," I whispered, shaking him. "Wake up."

His face squeezed up and then he squinted at me. "What?"

"Let go of me so I can get up and pee."

He retracted his arm and closed his eyes again.

I went into the bathroom. It was one of the classic compact ones where the toilet is wicked close to the bathtub/shower and the sink is outside. Okay, I can think of plenty reasons why placing a sink outside of the bathroom is useful, but, in the grand scheme of things, is it necessary?

My business in the bathroom done, I headed out and washed my hands in the sink. I caught my reflection in the mirror and couldn't resist combing my fingers through my hair and attempting to wipe off the eyeliner and mascara residue that smudged under my eyes. I was about to wet a piece of toilet paper to clean my eyes up more efficiently when Sasuke called.

"Sakura?" he said weakly.

I walked toward the bed away from the sink. Sasuke was still laying on the same side, his hand grasping the pillow under his head. "Yeah?"

He held out an arm without moving any other part of his body. "Come back to bed. You were warm."

My stomach did a somersault. I knew it was late and I should be interrogating Sasuke about this whole situation, but how could I say no to that? How could _anyone_ say no to that?

I walked to the other side of the bed and climbed back in. As soon as Sasuke felt me, he gripped the back of my shirt and pulled me toward him. Then he hugged me tightly, but comfortably, with that arm. I heard (and felt) him sigh deeply. I hackin' loved Sleepy Sasuke.

I wasn't tired so I spent my time breathing in sync with Sasuke and staring at his face. I examined the grooves on his lips and the perfect placement of his eyebrows. He could be a model if he wanted. I've noticed from my days spent in the agency with my dad that a lot of models aren't born beautiful. They're blank slates and make-up and costumes make them look amazing. But Sasuke, if they added anything to him, he might have been too beautiful to look at. Or I could have just been exaggerating.

Sasuke's face drew me in and I got so close, our noses touched. I closed my eyes then.

.ZOMG.

A loud and extremely obnoxious sound woke Sasuke and I. Because we were so close, we bumped noses hard and pulled away from each other. My cell phone, which I had placed on the wood bedside table, was vibrating and blaring one of the annoying tones that came with the phone.

I craned my neck away from Sasuke and looked at the phone with loathing. I reached with my arm and grabbed it. I immediately shut the ringer off and flipped open my phone. I had received a text message from Tenten:

Where are you?!?!?! U missed  
shikamarus surprise lunch birthday  
party thing! R u sick

I groaned. I had totally forgot today was Shikamaru's birthday, the twenty-second. Shikamaru didn't want to have a party because it was "too troublesome" so we were going to surprise him with a small party at lunch just at our table. There was a bigger problem though—if it was Wednesday, September 22, that meant the Homecoming Dance was only next Friday.

I closed my phone and put it back on the bedside table. Sasuke was finally getting out of bed. He sat up and set his feet on the ground. Then he bent over and rubbed his eyes. I eyed the arch of his back. Even from behind he was wicked hot in his T-shirt.

I got up and stretched. I threw my hands in the air and bent over backwards as far as I could, attempting to crack my back. When I settled down and turned to Sasuke, I noticed his head whip around to face the wall in front of him. Was he watching me?

Sasuke stalked off to the bathroom and I sat at the end of the bed and turned the TV on that was opposite the bed on top of the dresser. I flipped through the channels. They were so foreign. Everything was in the same language, but the stations were weird, being in a different country.

Soon, Sasuke exited the bathroom and washed his hands. "Shut that off," he snapped. "It's too early for noise." I didn't even think of mentioning how late in the day it actually was.

I did turn the TV off, not finding anything to watch anyway, and instead watched him rinse off his face and dry it. When he finished, he came and sat beside me. We sat in silence for a moment, not looking at each other.

"I'm hungry," I finally announced.

He got up for a second and pulled a menu off the dresser beside the TV. It a menu for some fast food chain restaurant. I didn't know of it. Sasuke handed the menu to me.

I looked through it and finally decided on a burger-soda-fries combo. I handed him the menu and he searched through it. After choosing a meal, he grabbed his phone also on the dresser and called up the place, telling them our orders.

When he finished, he set the items he held down and turned to look at me. He stared at me for a while and I became uncomfortable.

"What," I finally asked.

Sasuke turned away and bent over. He riffled through a small navy colored duffel bag on the floor next to the dresser and pulled some clothed out. He stood back up and handed me a black T-shirt with a silver bird wing design across it and a pair of jeans.

I examined the articles. "Where did you get these?"

Sasuke pulled out another set of clothes for himself. "They're mine. I always keep clothes in the trunk of my car in case I get stuck somewhere."

"Oh. So you want me to wear these?"

Sasuke turned to me, expressionless. "Unless to want to keep wearing your clothes."

That I didn't want to do. My jeans felt really uncomfortable after sleeping in them. So I headed into the bathroom and took a shower using the stuff the hotel supplied. After, I put my bra back on and my underwear. I felt uncomfortable re-wearing underwear, but whatever, this was just one day, and it would be sketchy if Sasuke carried around panties. I put on his T-shirt. It didn't fit like girl T-shirts do and it was a little big, but I liked it. And Sasuke's jeans were too big. I didn't have a belt so I walked out of the bathroom, holding up the jeans.

"Um."

Sasuke, still in his old clothes, turned when he heard me and half of his mouth curled up into a smile. He laughed a little through his nose though. That made me smile although I was in distress.

"Do you have a pair of boxers or something I can wear as shorts or something," I asked.

Sasuke pulled one, black and gray plaid, out of that holy duffel bag and threw it at me. I caught it and headed back into the bathroom. I re-exited with the boxers on and stuffed the jeans into his duffel bag.

I threw myself onto the bed, much more comfortable in the new clothes, and Sasuke headed for the bathroom. He stopped halfway there though and turned to me.

"If they come with the food while I'm in the shower, don't answer the door."

I raised an eyebrow.

He continued. "Make up some sort of excuse. Just don't let them see you. Wait until I get out." He pointed a finger at the window across the room. "And don't open the curtains."

While Sasuke took a shower, I flipped through the channels on the TV again. I remembered Tenten's text message and replied:

No, I'm not sick. I'll talk to  
you later about it.

Thankfully, the food didn't come until after Sasuke was a few minutes out of the shower and dressed. We ate together at the little table in the corner by the window in silence because Sasuke made me turn the TV off again.

"So," I began, "will you explain to me what's going on?"

Sasuke sucked on the straw of his soda—I think it was Coke—and looked away. He didn't answer.

"Will you at least tell me how long you plan on us staying here?"

His lips left the straw and he turned to me. "Three days, at least."

My soda cup fell out of my hands and hit the table. Thankfully the drop was only about an inch and nothing spilled. "Three days?! _At least_?! Are you kidding me?!"

"No."

I gritted my teeth and stared at the white curtained window. I wanted to look outside and see the Land of Lighting, but overprotective Sasuke wouldn't allow it. I wondered if the capital here differed much from our capital, the city I lived it. I had seen Kumo on TV and stuff, but I had never seen it in real life. I was pretty sure that I'd never get a chance to travel here again and I didn't want to leave without at least seeing the Kage Tower.

I asked, turning back to look at Sasuke, "Does the three days include today?"

Sasuke nodded. Thank goodness.

I was about to ask what we were supposed to do all day, if we were going to eat delivery all the time, what we were supposed to wear, if I was going to wear the same underwear everyday, what's the difference in Itachi's mind between killing me now and waiting a couple days until I get home, but I didn't.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?"

"Is Itachi a yakuza?"

"Yes."

I chewed on that.

"Are you a yakuza," I finally asked.

"No.

"Is my dad a yakuza?"

"No."

"Then why does he call you 'sama'?"

Sasuke opened a ketchup packet slowly right along the 'Open Here' dotted line and squeezed what had to be every bit of condiment out of that packet. The entire process was excruciatingly slow and I just wanted an answer.

"I own the modeling agency your father runs."

I just about spit out my half chewed French fry. "What?!"

"My father opened it for my mother. She was a model for a couple years when she was a teenager and it was her passion. He had hired your father as its president because he couldn't run it himself." Sasuke looked into my eyes for the first time for a moment and then looked away. "He was the head of the Konoha police force; he didn't have time to run a modeling agency. In his will he left it to my mother, but she's dead too, so I was chosen to get it.

"When I turn eighteen, I will have to take control of the companies my father created. He left some to my brother, but the government took away those rights and everything else my parents left him when he turned eighteen because he's a rank S criminal and gave them to me. Because I'm turning eighteen in less than a year, I have to get to know the businesses I will be funding. I could re-hire another president to replace your father, but I feel he's more than suitable. My father chose him and so will I."

Everything was making so much sense. If Sasuke had just explained this all to me before, I wouldn't have accused him of being a part of the mafia and I wouldn't have suspected my father. It was kind of sad that the moment Sasuke turns eighteen he will become a full-fledged adult, running companies and business and having to deal with all that money and estate that he had been left. And because Sasuke is the sole Uchiha in existence at that moment besides Itachi (at least from what I and Konoha knew) he will also get all the land, cash, stocks, businesses, and valuables the other Uchihas left behind. Sasuke was going be a flippin' rich S.O.B. pretty soon. ALL of the Uchiha Compound was his, every single piece of it.

That transition when he turns eighteen must be so unbelievably painful. At least it seems Sasuke is getting the hang of what he'll have to be in control of soon. I don't know if I could handle knowing hundreds of people get their pay checks from me and hundreds of other people have to do what ever I tell them. That would suck.

"Who runs stuff now? Who handles things if you're not eighteen yet?"

Sasuke had finished his meal and was stuffing trash back in the bag the food came in. "Someone the Third hired. He makes good decisions with our money in my best interest. He's teaching me what I'll have to know and do when I'm eighteen."

"Is that why you miss so much school?"

"Mostly."

My heart inflated knowing Sasuke was sharing his story with me. I wondered if Sasuke had ever told this to anyone else? I felt so lucky.

But not all of my questions were answered.

"So, why did Itachi and his friend walk around your house like he shows up all the time?"

Sasuke picked up his trash, grabbed mine and threw it all away in the trash can in a corner by the dresser. When he sat back down, he answered.

"He does."

"Wait. What?!"

Sasuke told me of how Itachi and the gang he's part of show up from time to time. I assumed Itachi ran the gang, but I was wrong. Pretty much the only thing Sasuke would tell me about Itachi's gang was their name, the Akatsuki. We had moved to lounging on the bed when I asked why Sasuke didn't call the cops or anything. He told me he did a couple times, but Itachi managed to get away every time, like he just disappeared. There was a special task force that just worked on tracking down Itachi, but he didn't believe they knew anything about his visits with Sasuke or where his current location was. Sasuke had given up on Itachi and just accepted him and his friends. But he told me that his goal was to kill Itachi when he was older and get on with his life without Itachi interfering.

"But, Sasuke-kun," I said, "if you kill Itachi…you'll be labeled a killer just like Itachi." I didn't understand why Sasuke spent so much time preparing to own everything if he was just going to throw it all away.

"I don't care," he said squeezing the life out of a pillow. "I just want revenge."

.ZOMG.

By the time the sun set, I was bored out of my mind. Sasuke was sitting at the window, making phone calls to people I didn't know. I had called my mom earlier on Sasuke's phone (I didn't know if I could make international calls with my phone.) to tell her everything was okay and to make sure Daisuke hadn't ransacked my room.

I flipped though the channels on the TV about a hundred times and couldn't find anything that held my interest for more than fifteen minutes. I felt like Bella locked in a hotel room in _Twilight_. Itachi was my James. But I didn't have a Jasper to calm my nerves or an Alice to tell me whether Itachi would get me or not in the future.

I barely noticed Sasuke sit beside me to the right on the edge of the bed. He was staring down at my shoulder in thought, touching the tips of my hair on my back with his left hand.

"What are you thinking about," I asked him, turning the TV off.

"About whether Itachi cares enough to get the other Akatsuki members to search for you."

"Oh…" The feeling of his fingertips on my back was so distracting.

I turned to look at him. We were very close. "I don't understand the difference three days would make. When I get home after this, wouldn't it be easy for Itachi to find me at my house or at school?"

Sasuke stared down at me. His coal black eyes bore into mine. "You're right. But Itachi is impulsive. After these three days he should cool off. And he likes to do things without fighting or violence unless it's really necessary. If we were home and he tried going after you, he knows I'd protect you and fight him off."

.ZOMG.

The next two days were pretty much the same. We ordered delivery every meal, sometimes from the hotel's restaurant and other times from some chain restaurant. I still wasn't allowed to go outside the hotel room or open the curtains. I wore the same clothes the next day and on the third day, Sasuke gave me a new shirt and pair of boxers to wear. I hoped Sasuke wasn't wearing underwear over for my sake.

We talked a lot, too, surprisingly. We talked about the future and the past, not much about the present. Sasuke told me he was hoping to open up a big hospital in Konoha, kind of like Batman's dad did. I told him that I was going to nursing school after high school and he had better get me a good job in that hospital. He smirked and said he'd think about it. Sometimes, we talked about Neji. Sasuke told me that he had hated Neji ever since they were little. Their parents made them play with each other and they grew to hate each other's personalities. Sasuke used to be really carefree and fun-loving and Neji was obsessed with keeping the order of things and not messing with fate. Their parents were blind to this hatred for a long time.

On the night of the second day, I was fed up with my underwear so I pulled them off and put Sasuke's back on. (Don't worry, I was going to take Sasuke's off when I got home and wash them.) I washed my panties in the sink with a bar of soap and I wrung them out. Then, I walked out into the room and placed them on the heater to dry.

"What are you doing," Sasuke asked me. He was checking his email on his phone. Lucky. I had turned my phone off a while ago so it wouldn't die because I didn't have a charger.

I smiled at Sasuke. "Nothing." I really hoped Sasuke wouldn't notice I wasn't wearing underwear, at least…not my own underwear.

We stayed up at night watching lame movies or cheesy crime dramas. We slept late and never woke up in time for breakfast. Sasuke always held me at night. Sometimes Sasuke spoke in his sleep. He mentioned my name a few times and he called out to his mom once with such desperation, it made me want to cry and give Sasuke his mom back if it was possible. It sucked that Sasuke only had his mom for eight years. I know long after I was eight, I would run into my parents' room, into my mom's arms and tell her about the new scary dream I had. Sasuke didn't have that. No wonder why he made sure that I was with him each night and held me so tightly. He was so lonely.

We stayed the night on the third day and got ready to leave on the morning of the fourth day. Sasuke woke me up around 10. It was Saturday morning and I was hoping to call up my friends and go dress shopping for Homecoming. I put my own clothes back on after taking a shower and followed Sasuke out of the hotel room for the first time in a long time. I was going to miss that little room. It was my home and sanctuary for those few days.

Sasuke made me pull all my hair back into a pony tail and pin my bangs bag with the clips I happened to have in my jeans. Then I had to put my hood up so my pink hair wouldn't be a give-away.

Walking through the lobby, I wondered if anyone was looking at us and thinking it was weird that all we had for luggage was one small duffel bag. At the front desk, Sasuke checked out and we finally got outside.

It was colder here in the Land of Lightning, probably because it was more north than Fire Country. But the atmosphere of a big capital city was pretty much the same.

We didn't have to walk very far to Sasuke's beautiful car. When we were on a busy highway lined with restaurants and stores of all kinds on the way to Interstate, I asked, "Sasuke? Do you think we could go to the Kage Tower?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Please? I've always wanted to see it."

"You can look up pictures online."

"But it's not the same!"

"Not today, Sakura."

I had déjà vu of Neji telling me the same thing that first day of school when he decided to walk Ino home instead of me. I missed Neji. I really missed hanging out with him. He doesn't seem like someone who would have fun, but we did.

I didn't talk to Sasuke the rest of the trip, except when telling him what I wanted for breakfast and then again for lunch and then when I listened to my voicemail.

I had only one new message. It was from Naruto. I listened to it:

"Sakura-chan! Where are you?! I miss you! Come  
back to school! You aren't dead, right?! Did you  
switch schools? Did you move away? Nooo,  
Sakura-chan! Are you mad at me? Is it because  
Kiba called you a bad girlfriend? I'm sorry! I'm  
sorry! I should have defended you! And I'm sorry  
Sasuke has such a bad girlfriend! …WAIT!  
SAKURA-CHAN, I DIDN'T MEAN IT THAT  
WAY! DON'T HURT ME! I'M SORRY! I LOVE  
YOU, SAKURA-CHAN! YOU SHOULD BREAK  
UP WITH WITH SASUKE-BASTARD! BELIEVE  
IT! 'KAY-BYE!"

Are you fucking kidding me? I thought. That was the most ditzy and random voicemail ever. I was absolutely going to kill Naruto the next time I saw him.

I glanced at Sasuke. He was looking at me and then turned to look back at the road.

"Did you hear any of that," I asked.

"Yeah. Just that idiot screaming at the end. If you're not going to hurt him, I will. He pisses me off."

I just laughed. And that was pretty much it for us talking to each other. I'm sure Sasuke didn't mind; he preferred quiet anyway.

We finally got to my house and I almost didn't want to get out of the car and leave Sasuke to his loneliness. But I did and took the clothes Sasuke let me wear with me.

"I'm going to wash these for you," I told Sasuke.

He was getting out of the car to walk me to the door. "No. It's okay. I can—"

"No. I _have_ to wash them."

Sasuke sighed and closed his car door. "Whatever."

I followed Sasuke up to my front door. I opened the door and was about to just go right in, but I turned around and threw my arms around Sasuke's neck and hugged him.

"Thank you, Sasuke," I said, when he hugged me back, "for protecting me from your brother and for putting up with me for three straight days."

* * *

A.N: HI!

Wow. It's been ages and I sincerly apologize. I hope this chapter makes up for the wait. I like this chapter A LOT and I'd be super disappointed if you didn't.

Summer: Summer. What a beautiful word. My last day of school was May 29 (SENIORS '09) and prom was the day before. Prom was AWESOME. You children that haven't been to prom yet, it's definitely something to look forward to.

Connecticon: I didn't get to go to Anime Boston. If any of you did, definitely tell me how it was. I heard the lines were SO much better than last year. Did I tell you all that I waited in line for 8 hours, I think it was, to get a pass for the con? I feel like I did tell you. But anyway, I'm definitely going to Connecticon this year! Is anyone else going?? Seriously, tell me! I think it would be awesome to meet one of my readers!!! We can buy matching SasuSaku buttons. :D

I'm dressing up at Yomiko Readman from _R.O.D._ and Nekozawa-sempai from _Ouran High School Host Club_. I'm so excited because I've never cosplayed before and because I'm actually staying at a hotel in Hartford with my friends this year! Bad news about the hotel though, if anyone cares. There were twelve of us going to the con, which means two room, six in each room, and we split the cost evenly. But a few people decided without anyone that seven would stay in one room and the other five (me and my two best friends and one's boyfriend and another good friend of ours) would stay in a room by ourselves and have to pay for that room by ourselves. That meant our cost per person went up by about 10 dollars. The money wasn't the biggest issue. It's that those couple JERKS think that they're better than us. ZOMG I was so pissed at them!!! They want to split our group of twelve into two. This was supposed to be a group thing! At the very least, we should still pay the same price as everyone else. I'm so pissed with those hackin' jerks and I'm tired with what they do to us.

LiveJournal: Sorry. But if you care, I think I'll write more about it on my LiveJournal. Check out my profile for my username.

Anime Recommendations: _Eden of the East_. You must watch this anime. It's only 11 episodes long and it's SOOOOO good.

I promise to update MUCH sooner than I did with this chapter. The next chapter is kinda borderline....inappropriate. I don't know why I was thinking about that stuff when I was writing it because I feel like the other chapters are so much more innocent than chapter 17. And please, I'm pretty sure it's not at all what and who you're thinking about, so no worries (or sorry, I guess, if you wanted that).

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its characters or plot lines. Naruto is copyrighted 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Chapter 17 Preview:

I'd Give You My Heart and I'd Let You Just Hold It

Naruto was the first to get to my house the next day. He put down the Xbox 360 box that he was carrying as soon I opened the door and gave me a huge hug.

"Sakura-chan! I missed you so much!"

He lifted me off the floor and carried me into the living room where he continued to squeeze me. Just when I thought the hug was ending because his grip was loosening I felt him start to lower his hands.


	17. I’d Give You My Heart and I’d Let You

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

A.N: This chapter contains events you have probably seen before in many other fanfics. Sorry.

Chapter 17: I'd Give You My Heart and I'd Let You Just Hold It

"Sasuke," I whispered into my phone. "I can't sleep."

"Why not?" Sasuke didn't sound aggravated or angry with me for calling him at one in the morning. He was calm and just the sound of his voice was soothing me. He did sound a little tired though.

"I'm afraid." I heard a sound and eeped. It turned out to be just the toilet flushing. "I keep thinking Itachi is here."

Sasuke didn't respond so I continued. "Every noise I hear I think it's him cocking a gun or unsheathing a sword. I'm afraid to get up because he could be under my bed and I know I would die if anything touched my leg because it could be him. I'm afraid to close my eyes because if I open them again, he could be there. I don't know what to do. Please, help me."

"It's okay, Sakura," he said slowly. "Calm down. It's okay."

Have I mentioned how beautiful Sasuke sounds on the phone? He should sell his voice to, like, some kind of audiobook company.

"Okay," I said, his voice continuing to calm me.

He was silent for a moment and I struggled to any sort of noise on his end so I wouldn't hear anything on my side and mistake it for Itachi.

He spoke, "Get out of your bed and look under it."

"What?!" I couldn't believe Sasuke told me to do that. I was scared out of my mind and he expected me to get out my warm sanctuary of safety? "Why?"

"Just do it."

"Sasuke, I can't. I'm too scared," I whined.

He yawned and I thought it was the cutest little noise ever. I wished I was with him so I could have seen that.

"Do you trust me," Sasuke asked.

"Yes," I answered with a pause. I did. How could I not trust him and sleeping in the same bed with him for a few days and after he took time out of his busy life to protect me and after he shared his struggles of continuing his father's legacy with me? Of course I trusted him.

"Then get out of bed."

I took a deep breath. "Fine." I pushed my blanket back with one hand. Like testing water, I stuck a toe out and pressed it gently to the floor. I lived. I pulled my other leg out from under the blanket and put it on the floor. I lived again.

"How are you doing, Sakura," Sasuke asked.

"I'm--I'm fine."

I stood up. And lived.

"Are you looking under the bed yet?"

"No..."

I got down on my knees and slowly lifted the veil of blanket separating me from the darkness.

"Now I am," I said into the phone.

"What do you see?"

"Nothing."

"No Itachi?"

"No Itachi."

"Good. Now, stand up and look—"

I heard the door open and a yellow light streamed into my room. I screamed and dropped my phone, curling into a ball. I was going to die. I knew it. The person stepped closer. I screamed again. Sasuke was yelling my name into his phone. The light came on and my face was lifted. The killer was my father. I had no reason to be afraid.

"Sakura." He hugged me and wiped away tears that I didn't know had fallen. "Why are you so scared?" What's wrong?"

I could hear the faint voice of Sasuke calling me.

I couldn't speak.

My dad patted my back. "Well, I wanted to say bye because I'm leaving for a week on a business trip."

"Oh," I managed to say.

He hugged me tightly for a moment. "I love you. See you next week."

I nodded.

He left and I practically leapt at my phone.

"Sasuke?" My voice and hands were shaking.

"Sakura? Are you okay?" His voice was very alarmed.

"I'm...okay..."

It sounded like he was sitting himself down. "What happened?

I also took a seat on my bed. "Someone came into my room and I panicked; I thought it was Itachi, but it was just my dad."

Sasuke sighed and I could imagine him wiping his face with one hand. "I honestly thought Itachi was with you, but I knew he was in the living room. So I had to run downstairs and check to make sure he hadn't left. He's here. Don't scare me like that."

"I'm sorry," I squeaked. I probably did overreact but--"Wait. You said Itachi was there the whole time?"

"Yeah."

"Are you serious?!" I threw myself back onto my pillow. "You could have just told me in the first place that Itachi was there."

"You're right," Sasuke said in that usual full-of-himself way. "I could have. But would you have really believed me?"

"Yes!"

"Seeing is believing, sweetheart."

I raised an eyebrow. "The hell did you just call me?"

"Sweetheart." There was not an ounce of embarrassment in Sasuke's tone.

"Sasuke, are you screwing with me?" I rolled onto my side and involuntarily smiled.

"No."

That Sasuke. He was something else.

I laughed a little. Talking to Sasuke really did feel like that boy and girl who just started dating and talk to each other late into the night without a care in the world, especially not for the phone bill. Whatever. I hadn't even talked to Neji like this ever. I really like the feeling I felt in the pit of my stomach.

"Guess what I did today," I told Sasuke, smiling.

"What?" He actually flippin' cared!

"Tenten, Hinata, and I went dress shopping today." Oh my gosh. I really did feel like that lovestruck girl.

"Wonderful." Sasuke's tone told me that he could honestly care less but he was listening for the sake of listening.

"So, I met Hinata and Tenten at the mall at, like, one and we.…"

.ZOMG.

I met Hinata and Tenten at the mall around one. I had called them after Sasuke dropped me off. I was the first to get to the benches outside the Asian store, but Hinata and Tenten soon showed up. Tenten had picked up Hinata because Hinata only had her permit, same as me. Sometimes I felt like a noob because I still didn't have my license, like when Sasuke drove me everywhere, but I didn't care too much.

I hugged Tenten and then Hinata when they were close and I told them it was so good to see them.

When we started heading for Kasumi's Dresses, one of the dresses shops in the mall, Tenten asked, "Sakura! Where were you? What happened?"

I thought it best not to tell them about Itachi so I had a nice little lie planned. "Some fangirls attacked me."

Hinata gasped. "Sasuke's fangirls?"

"Yeah, they threatened to kill me and stuff. Sasuke was there to back me up though. He scared the crap out of them, but I guess they scared him too because he took me off to Kumogakure to stay in a hotel for a few days. That's why I wasn't in school."

"Oh my gosh!"

Tenten squealed. "I knew Sasuke was the super overprotective type."

I'm not going to lie. I liked the attention. "Yeah! You should have seen him. He wouldn't let me go outside or open the curtains or anything."

Hinata and Tenten loved the story I was feeding them. We came to the dress shop and were browsing the selection of short dresses or cocktail dresses as some call them. Long dresses are for prom only.

"Did you guys sleep together," Hinata asked. She was blushing for me.

I nodded. "Yeah. It was great. He held me really tight every night." My expression changed. "But it was sad too. I think he must be really lonely at night. I mean, he's the only person in his house now"--Yeah right!--"so that's why he held me so much."

Tenten grabbed my shoulders, and jeez! girls should not be that strong! "You had sex with Uchiha Sasuke? You two had sex?! You two had sex every night for three days at some hotel?!"

Some girls I knew from our school were staring and whispering to each other. Sasuke was going to _kill_ me. F my life.

"No!" I groaned and dragged Tenten out of the store with Hinata following. The dresses in there were too expensive anyway. "Tenten, you idiot! No, I didn't have sex with Sasuke," I whispered harshly.

Tenten nodded. "So he came onto you, but you denied him."

"No! He was a gentlemen the whole time!"

"The boy has some self-control," Tenten said to Hinata. Hinata nodded.

"Ugh!"

Hinata, Tenten, and I ended up buying our dresses and the hugh department store. I got a black and navy blue dress, something I thought Sasuke would like, Hinata got a white dress with a black bow, Tenten got a purple dress. Turned out Tenten was going with Shikamaru just as friends (she was forcing him) and Chouji and Kiba had asked two Sophomores. I didn't think Shino was going.

Tenten drove me home first and of course as soon as Tenten pulled into the driveway my mom came running out of the house.

I was sitting in the back so she opened my door and stuck her head in. "Tenten! Hinata! Darlings! Come in! I haven't seen you two in ages!"

"It's nice to see you, Haruno-san," Hinata said.

"Yeah," Tenten agreed.

"Thank you! Come in! Please!" My mom moved out of the way so I could get out.

"Mom, seriously," I sighed, "they need to go home and stuff."

She motioned to Tenten. "Come in! I insist!"

Tenten and Hinata got out of the car and followed my mother and I up the stairs and into my house. My mom took my dress out of my hands as soon and we walked in the door and held it out to look at it in its entirety.

"Sakura! This is lovely!" She handed the dress back to me. "Go try it on now. I want to see you in it.

I groaned. "Mom, please! I'll try it on later, okay?"

My mom sighed. "All right."

Tenten and Hinata and unfortunately my mom followed me into the living room. We girls sat on the couch and my mom sat on the living chair near it.

"How was dress shopping," my mom asked.

"Fine," Hinata, Tenten, and I said in unison.

"Did you all find great dresses?"

"Yeah," I said.

My mom smiled enormously. "That's wonderful! So, you know what I was thinking? You girls should sleepover tomorrow night!"

I couldn't believe that she actually had a good idea for once. They hadn't slept over since last year.

I looked at them, smiling. It was going to be Sunday, but there was no school the next day. Staff Development Day. "Yeah. Do you guys want to?"

"Sure," Tenten said.

Hinata nodded. "I'll talk to my father, but I'm sure it won't be a problem."

"Great!" My mom stood up, taking my dress from me. "I'll go put this in your room for you."

Before she left, I called her. "Can the guys come over, too? I mean not stay over, but just to hang out and stuff."

"Sure."

.ZOMG.

Naruto was the first to get to my house the next day. He put down the Xbox 360 box that he was carrying as soon I opened the door and gave me a huge hug.

"Sakura-chan! I missed you so much!"

He lifted me off the floor and carried me into the living room where he continued to squeeze me. Just when I thought the hug was ending because his grip was loosening I felt him start to lower his hands.

I pushed Naruto away. "What the hell, Naruto?! You know I'm dating—"

Naruto quickly turned around like he was hiding something and I had a good guess what it was. "Yeah, I know! Stupid Sasuke-bastard!" He sighed. "Uh, Sakura-chan, I'm going to go use your bathroom."

My face grew a disgusted expression. "Ew, Naruto! Not in my house!" I threw a pillow from my couch at his back as he scuttled away.

As I replaced the pillow, I tried to get that gross picture of Naruto out of my head. I picked up his Xbox box (hehe) and put it on the floor in front of my TV. Kiba was bringing his PlayStation 3 and Chouji was bring what Xbox games he had. The only game console I had was the ancient GameCube that my brother used to play.

I started removing the contents of the box and my eyes widened as I picked up the A/C adapter. It was _huge_! Why would any machine need a A/C adapter that big? As I was trying to figure out if I should put the Xbox upright or lay it on its side, Naruto returned from the bathroom. He touched my hand with his to take the Xbox from me and I flinched. Naruto had a hurt look in his eyes and I felt terrible.

I handed the Xbox to him. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

The doorbell rang and I leaped at the opportunity to get out of that awkward situation. It was Tenten and Hinata, followed by Shino, Shikamaru, and Chouji. I let them in.

"I picked up Shino," Tenten let me know as she walked by. That meant Shikamaru and Chouji had come together. I gave each of the three guys a hug as they came in.

I gave Shikamaru an extra tight hug. "Sorry I missed your birthday!"

"It's okay," he said. "It was a troublesome day anyway."

Naruto slapped Chouji on the back. "All right! You brought _Gears of War_!"

Shino flipped out a video game like it was a playing card. "Look what I brought."

"_Fatal Frame_ ," Naruto read. "What's that?"

Tenten shivered. "That game is fucking scary... We have to play it later!"

I laughed at Tenten and remembered to get snacks and stuff. When I got into the kitchen, my mom handed me a menu to the local pizza place and the cordless house phone. "Go see what they want. You can get three pizzas but make sure one of them is cheese so Daisuke and I can have a piece."

"I want two pieces," Daisuke yelled from his seat at the table. He was watching _SpongeBob_ on the little TV in the kitchen.

"No, honey. You'll only be able to eat one piece."

"No, I won't!"

I grabbed two bags of chips out of a cabinet and carried them, the menu, and the phone into the living room. Chouji grabbed a bag from me before I could put it down on the coffee table and opened it.

I raised an eyebrow at Chouji. "Make sure you share that with everyone."

Chouji glared at me. "I know."

Before I could ask what kind of pizza people wanted the doorbell rang again and I assumed it was Kiba. It was.

"Sorry I'm late, Sakura." Poor guy. He was carrying two guitar-controllers for _Guitar Hero_, an entire drum-controller set, a mic, and a PS3 box.

"Jeez!" I grabbed what could from him and we set his stuff down next to the entertainment center. I remembered Tenten and Hinata's bags because Kiba nearly tripped over them and I told Hinata and Tenten that we should probably put those in my room.

In my room, Hinata and Tenten sat on my bed as I called the pizza place.

"I'm just going to get cheese, meat lovers', and pepperoni. I'm pretty sure the guys will eat whatever kind of pizza it is. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah," Tenten told me.

After I placed the order, Hinata asked, "Did you invite Sasuke?"

"No." I waved my hand a little. "He would not want to come to something like this."

We went back downstairs and Naruto and Kiba were playing _Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe_. The other guys were watching, rooting who they wanted to win, and Shikamaru was napping in the living chair. We sat in front of the couch where there was room. Tenten played Chouji next and kicked his butt. Tenten actually kicked all the guys' butts who dared to challenge her, except Naruto, but that was probably because it was his game and he had more practice with certain characters.

Once again, the doorbell rang and it had to be the pizza guy. I pulled the money my mom gave me out of my pocket and headed for the door. Tenten followed me.

"I wonder if the pizza guy is hot," she said.

"The pizza guy is never hot," I yelled at her, laughing.

"No, Sakura. The pizza guy is _always_ hot."

I opened the door and my jaw dropped. It was Sasuke, carrying three pizza boxes.

Tenten grinned at me. "Told you." She took the pizza boxes away from Sasuke and headed back into the living room, the saint.

I jumped a little and wrapped my arms around Sasuke's neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me back.

"Hey," he said softly.

I grinned in bliss and I could feel my heart beating fast. I was so happy to see Sasuke after thinking about him all day. We parted and noticed all the kids in the living room watching us. Naruto was pissed and it kinda looked like he grew fangs.

"You work at the pizza place now," I asked Sasuke, as we walked into the living room. We stole Chouji's seat on the couch while he was sticking a new game into the Xbox.

"No. I bought the pizzas off the delivery guy."

"You did?" I held out the money I had to pay for those pizzas. "Here."

Sasuke pushed my hand away. "No. I got it."

I pushed the money into Sasuke's hand. "Sasuke, if you're going to be a guest at my house, you can't buy my pizza."

He leaned over and stuck the money in the pocket of my jeans opposite from him. "Yes, I can."

I frowned. Why was he so stubborn? Whatever. I grabbed a couple slices of pizza and offered some to Sasuke.

"Sakura," Sasuke called, "why wasn't I invited to this?"

I looked at him. "I didn't think you wanted to come. How did you find out about it?"

"It was the idiot's status on Facebook."

That blew me away. "You have a Facebook?! Why aren't we friends?"

Sasuke shrugged. "You never asked."

"Better yet, you're friends with Naruto?!"

Naruto glared at us.

"Yeah," Sasuke answered. "I thought it would be useful to know where Naruto was going so I could avoid those places."

"Then why are you here where I am, you bastard?" Naruto yelled.

"I can't spend time with my own girlfriend?"

My stomach flipped.

"Obviously not because she didn't invite you!"

"Now, now, idiot, don't be bitter."

"Shut up, bastard!"

Hinata then walked into the living room, ending the verbal battle. "Oh, hi, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn," Sasuke said.

"Hey, Sakura," Tenten called. She was standing next to the entertainment center holding up a video game. "We were planning on playing _Fatal Frame_ because it's dark now and then watching _Transformers_."

"Cool. I'll go get blankets." I got up and jogged up the stairs. I pulled as many blankets as I could out of the linen closet and pulled my blanket off my bed. I also grabbed the fleece blanket Hinata brought with her in addition to her sleeping bag. Arms very full, I headed back downstairs.

I threw blankets at various people and kept mine for Sasuke and me. I sat back down on Sasuke's left, spreading the blanket on my lap and his.

Tenten put the game in the Xbox and I noticed it was an old original Xbox game. "Will that work on the 360," I asked.

Shino nodded. "Yeah, you just have to download something. It's hooked up to the Internet so we're good."

The game started up and I noticed Shino had the controller. It started with a cutscene. A girl started talking about her missing brother Mafuyu who went into this creepy, old, haunted mansion (idiot) in search for some missing people. The game begins with you playing as Mafuyu.

"Is the whole game black and white," Kiba asked Shino.

"No, just this prologue part because it happened in the past. It's pretty short."

"Ooh."

We watched Shino move into another room in the mansion. Several of us, including me, screamed when a ghost came out of nowhere.

"Don't worry," Shino said calmly. "It can't hurt me." He brought up another screen that looked like the view finder of a camera. Shino took a picture of the ghost and it vanished. The ghost was still flippin' creepy, no matter if it attacked or not.

Soon the prologue ended and the narrator girl walks into the mansion looking for her now missing brother. What a stupid girl! She's gonna die in there!

That game was absolutely terrifying. The music was creepy and when the stupid girl moved, the camera didn't follow right behind her like in normal games, the angles changed often and most of the angles made it look like someone was watching this girl. When she walked into another room through a door, the music and noise would suddenly stop, making me all jumpy, and another song would play. The battles freaked me out. Those dumb ghosts would grab hold of the girl and shake her and take so much of her life away. From what we saw of the plot, that was creepy too. Stuff about _crazy_ rituals that were done in the mansion like pulling people's limbs off with ropes and Shino told us about a ritual where they shoved a blinding mask onto a girl's face that had spikes in the eye holes to impale her eyes. Ridiculous! I absolutely passed my turn when I was offered the controller.

After about an hour, we decided enough was enough. Tenten and Hinata were shivering together at the other end of the couch, Naruto looked like he was about to cry with fear, and I was cowering against Sasuke.

Tenten had placed her _Transformers_ movie in the Xbox because it was easier than the DVD player and it started playing. When it seemed like I had regained my composure, Sasuke removed his arms from around me.

"Sakura, it's just a game," he said.

"It doesn't matter," I cried. "I'm not going to be able to walk in the dark alone anymore."

"I know! Me either!" Tenten yelled.

Kiba laughed, but we knew he was afraid of the game too. "Just bring a camera with you."

I laughed. "Of course."

We quieted when the action began. About thirty minutes in, Sasuke randomly put his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. I looked away from the movie, wondering what was going on, and saw that Naruto was glaring daggers at us. He turned away.

Sasuke leaned over a little to whisper in my ear. "Naruto was staring at you. I wanted to show him his place."

I chuckled. "Oh, okay."

Sasuke kept his arm there and a few minutes later I rested my head on his shoulders. And a few minutes later I fell asleep. When I woke up, people had started moving around. Tenten was at the Xbox pulling her DVD out and holding her hand out for a game. I guessed that the movie had ended.

"What should we play," Kiba asked us.

Some shrugged, but no one answered.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, what do you want to play," Tenten asked.

"I don't care," Sasuke answered in his usual monotone.

Chouji and Naruto started arguing over what game to play and Sasuke touched my forearm, which rested on my leg. I looked at him. "You stopped calling me 'Sasuke-kun,'" he noticed.

I thought for a moment. I couldn't think of the last time I had called Sasuke 'kun.' "Yeah, you're right. That's okay, right, if I just call you 'Sasuke'?" What? It was the custom to ask.

"I don't care. You can call me whatever you want."

I laughed and poked him in the stomach. "Can I call you 'Snuggle Muffin'?"

"Yeah." He smirked at me. "Just not in public."

I giggled, blushing.

"Oh, shut _up,_" Kiba yelled at us. He and Chouji threw a couple Cheetos at us. "If you're going to start making out, go somewhere else."

"Fine." Sasuke got up and took my hand, lacing his fingers between mine. My heart started beating so fast I could barely hear Tenten and Hinata squealing and Kiba hooting at us.

Sasuke took us into my dad's study, which was connected to the living room by a set of wooden double doors. I hadn't been in there in a while, but everything looked the same. My dad's desk was still organized neatly contrasting with the bookshelves that were not. There were several books out of place and holes where they belonged and books stacked on their sides in front of the books in the shelves. There were also items that did not belong on bookshelves, such as dirty coffee mugs, empty water bottles, and old computer parts. I reminded myself to clean up those mugs and bottles later.

I watched Sasuke close the door behind us. "Sasuke, are we really gonna make out," I asked, definitely expecting him to laugh at me.

Instead he pushed me against my dad's desk where I was forced to sit up on the surface. He put his hands on the desk on both sides of me and one leg between mine, leaning in. My back was against my dad's thin computer monitor and I wasn't even afraid of knocking it over; my mind was too preoccupied with the feeling of his breath against my lips.

I closed my eyes, waiting for a kiss better than the ones Sasuke and I had shared that one time in the hallway at school. Not this time. I felt Sasuke pause and pull away.

When I opened my eyes, Sasuke had stepped several steps back and was running his hand through his hair a few times. His gaze was not on me. "No, Sakura. I wanted you call Neji." His voice was very controlled.

"Why?" I choked on the word. I can't explain what I felt at that moment.

He looked at me and almost collapsed in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Invite him over. Then we should do stuff to make him jealous. I want to see him suffer."

Funny. I could remember myself suggesting the same kind of thing to Sasuke once.

"Okay." I got off the desk and took at seat on the cushioned window seat at the only window in the room. When I had his number dialed and ready on my cell phone, it took me a minute to prepare myself to call. Was he actually going to answer this time after all the other times I had called and his phone was off?

I hit Talk and waited.

I looked over at Sasuke. He was watching me, a distressed look on his face. Had our almost kiss there really affected him?

Neji actually answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, Neji. It's Sakura." My voice sounded small.

"Hey." It sounded more like a grunt than a greeting.

"I was wondering..." I paused when I started hearing strange noises. Neji was making these guttural growls and moans, but they sounded like he was trying to suppress them. They ended for a moment and then I heard Neji say, his voice muffled like he was covering the phone with his hand, "_Ino_. Don't stop just because I'm on the phone. Get back on your knees." And clearer this time, "What, Sakura?"

I was barely holding it together. "Tenten and Kiba and the others are over and I was wondering if you wanted to come over too..."

While I waited for an answer, Neji kept making those noises. My face must have looked terrible because Sasuke came over and sat beside me.

Neji finally answered, "Sor—ry, Sakura. I can't—talk right now." He hung up.

As soon as I pressed the End button, I exploded into tears.

"Sakura, what happened," Sasuke asked.

I threw myself onto Sasuke and cried onto his shoulder.

"Sakura, what happened?" he repeated, more desperate.

"He's not coming. He was too busy getting a blow job from Ino." I started crying harder.

I lifted my head to look at Sasuke's face. He was grinding his teeth and his eyes were like burning coals. That made me cry harder. Sasuke held me tighter and pulled me onto his lap. I cried about everything, about lying to my friends, about ever liking Neji, about the turmoil I felt when I wondered whether I actually liked Sasuke or not. I loved being his pretend girlfriend, but did I wish I was his real one or Neji's?

When my sobs had died down, Sasuke called my name gently.

I looked at him. "What?"

He wasn't looking at me. He looked uncomfortable in a way I had never seen him before. "You should forget about Neji. I think that...we should date for—"

I got off of Sasuke and stood up, not really hearing the end. "No, Sasuke! I can't just _forget_ about Neji! Not after I've liked him for this long and after we've gotten this far!"

Sasuke also stood up. He took both of my hands in his. "But, Sakura, I—"

I pulled away from him. "No, Sasuke. I can't forget about Neji..." I shook my head and stared at the floor for a long time, thinking. "Sasuke, do you think we can keep pretending that we're dating? Is that okay with you?"

Sasuke didn't look at me. "...Yeah."

"Thank you." I gave him a hug. He didn't hug me back.

I examined his face to see if there was a problem. Did I do something wrong to him? Was he actually tired of us dating?

One of the doors opened slowly and we saw Shikamaru's head pop in. His eyes flew over the room and then stopped on us.

"Oh, good." He came in. "You guys have been in here for a while so I was checking to make sure that you weren't doing that troublesome thing you'd regret later."

I laughed again. "Nope. We were just talking."

I started heading toward Shikamaru, expecting Sasuke to follow. What I didn't expect was for Sasuke to walk ahead of me, push by Shikamaru, and walk out of my house.

* * *

A.N: Yeah. Those familiar events were the mall shopping and the sleepover. I think that they're different from the usual shopping trips and sleepovers. What about you? I'm so tired of reading fanfics where the Naruto girls drag they're unwilling boyfriends to the mall and just...do stuff there. Ugh. I hope this was a nice refresher to those of you who are bothered by fanfics like that too. :)

Fatal Frame Plot Spoiling: If there are any of you who are angered that I ruined a bit of the plot of _Fatal_ _Frame, _don't be. You've had plenty time to play that game. It's been YEARS since it came out. If there are any of you who now want to play this game, bless your soul. My life has been so affeccted by this game, I can't even tell you. I'm literally afraid of the dark now.

Writing Advice?: I had a tough time writing the scene where Sakura asks Sasuke to keep being her pretend boyfriend. It still sounds so awkward to me. Any advice?

Hmm...what else is there to say? Can I tell you what TV things I'm excited for? I'm excited for the season premiere of _Gossip Girl_, the season premiere _of Ben 10: Alien _Force, the live action _Ben 10_ movie, that Cartoon Network _Scooby Doo_ movie, umm...I can't remember what else.

New Story?: OH! OH! Have any of you been to my profile and checked out the "Coming Soon" section? Do you remember that story called "Faint" about Sasuke and Sakura having powers? I started writing it and I'm loving it!! It's tough though because I really wanted to write from Sasuke's point of view, but I'm a girl... I love writing in the point of view of guys though. I think it's exciting. And I'm writing it in limited third person point of view. I'm so used to writing in first person with this story so it's really hard there. It's a good challenge though.

Anime Recommendations: Nodame Cantabile. Look it up.

Sequel?: Next chapter is pretty long. Yup. I kind of had to end it because I thought it was getting too long. I dunno. I think it might be a good ending actually. And I really don't know how to end this story or if I want a sequel. I think once the last chapter rolls around I'll take a vote or something. I have two different endings in mind that lead to two different sequels and I have another ending in mind that doesn't lead to a sequel. I want to ask you guys which endings you prefer, but I don't want to ruin anything. This is tough....

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its characters or plot lines. Naruto is copyrighted 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto. And I don't own Xbox, Playstation 3, GameCube, Gears of War, Fatal Frame, SpongeBob SquarePants, Guitar Hero, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, or Transformers. (Did I miss any?) They belong to their respective owners. There's too many companies to look up so that's the best I can do. Don't sue.

* * *

Chapter 18 Preview:

I'm Losing What's Left of My Dignity, But I'll Fight 'Till the End for Her Heart

"I can't believe this! Why is the bastard coming?! I should have just stayed home! This is gonna suck! Sasuke's gonna ruin everything! This sucks balls! Officially the worst beach trip ever! Sasuke didn't even bring good soda! Sakura-chan, you better have ramen. Man, Sasuke is the worst. I'm piss—"

I turned around in my seat. "Naruto. Shut up. Please."

"I'm only going to see you in a bikini, Sakura-chan. I hope you know that."

"Fine. Just please be quiet."

I glanced at Sasuke. He looked like he was about to pull the car over, get out of the car, open the back door, pull Naruto out by his pant waist (Naruto wasn't wearing a shirt), put Naruto's head in front of one of the back tires, get back in the car, and drive away as fast as he could.


	18. I'm Losing What's Left of My Dignity, Bu

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

A.N: Make note of footmarks.

Chapter 18: I'm Losing What's Left of My Dignity, But I'll Fight 'Till the End for Her Heart

Shikamaru and I stood just outside the doorway to my father's office, staring at the front door that had just slammed shut. Someone paused the PGR4 car race and the other people in the room were also staring at the door, some at me.

"Sakura?"

"What happened?"

"Did something happen?"

"Sakura, are you okay?"

I didn't answer whoever was speaking to me and ran toward the window that faced the front lawn. Sasuke was already in his car. He started it up, but didn't move. I watched him rub his forehead.

Turn the car off.

Look back at my house.

Rest his head on the steering wheel.

Turn the car back on.

Back up a little.

Turn the car off.

Stare out in front of him.

And finally open the door, setting his feet on the ground. He looked like someone who was forcing himself to do something he didn't want to.

Sasuke stared at the ground between his feet for a long time. I thought hard about what I could have done wrong. I looked at Shikamaru, who was next to me, longing for answers, until I noticed Sasuke was on his way to my front door. I got up, accidentally knocking into a couple of my friends who had gathered around me, and grabbed the door knob. It twisted in my hand and I pulled while Sasuke pushed.

Sasuke looked a little startled to see me so soon, but when the surprise left his face, I saw confusion and angst there. He looked at me for only a moment before leaning down and kissing me. The kiss was short, longer than a peck, and it left my lips wanting more. When he pulled away, he didn't dare look at me. He, straight, walked away from me, into his car, and finally drove off.

.ZOMG.

I cried that night. I mostly kept thinking about Neji. I thought about how gross he is (Blow jobs? Not my thing.), how good he smells, how much of an ass he is, how hot he looks without a shirt on… Sometimes I thought about how much Sasuke probably dislikes me now that I've used him for so long. I bet Sasuke couldn't wait to get rid of me.

That kiss earlier, it was the first one that Sasuke actually initiated. I don't know what that meant in the context of the relationship Sasuke and I had.

Tenten and Hinata were sleeping on my floor on one side of my bed. They had decided to spread out their sleeping bags, one on top of the other, and sleep on top of them, sharing blankets and stuff. They could hear me cry.

"Sakura?" Hinata called. "Are you sad about Sasuke leaving so suddenly? Do you think you did something wrong?"

"Yeah, you okay," Tenten asked.

They were both propped on their knees, leaning over my bed.

"I'm fine." I didn't turn to look at them.

I felt Tenten shift a little bit. "But you're crying."

"I'm not crying!" I snapped.

Tenten and Hinata didn't say anything more. They simply lay back down and were quiet.

I'm sorry that I was such a bitch to them. I understand that they were concerned. I was just in one of those moods where I did not want to talk to anyone. I felt bad about snapping at them the rest of the night and I didn't get much sleep at all.

.ZOMG.

When I woke up, Tenten and Hinata were not there. Their sleeping bags were still on the floor so I knew they hadn't left yet but were probably downstairs. I wondered if they woke up at about the same time and felt like they should leave me alone after my bitchyness the night before.

No matter. I got out of bed and was about to use the bathroom when I noticed a magazine lying on the floor near my door. It was that magazine that I was looking at way back on, like, the second day of school, the one with the picture of that model that looked just like Sasuke. I picked up the magazine and threw it on top of my bed. I needed to analyze that picture.

After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I slowly walked downstairs. I was still so tired.

Tenten and Hinata were sitting on the big couch with my brother watching _SpongeBob_ and eating French toast and scrambled eggs. I walked right by them and into the kitchen.

Why was my mother such always a happy ditzball? She was swinging her hips to the 90s pop music that was playing on the radio in the kitchen and lip syncing the words.

"'Morning, Sakura!" She smiled brightly as she made me a plate of food and handed it to me. I grabbed a fork and was about to walk back into the living room when my mom stopped me.

"Sakura! Guess what?"

I turned to look at her.

"It's supposed to be between 37 and 40 degrees(1) out today!"

"Seriously?" Konoha was always hot. I mean, it's in Fire Country, of course it's hot. I've only seen actual snow once (when we went to the Land of Snow on a school trip to see a movie being filmed and met the bitch-princess) and we can pretty much wear sandals all year long. But, even so, 37 degrees Celsius in late September was strange.

And hot weather meant beach weather! "I want to go to the beach today. Is that okay, Mom?"

"Of course!"

I sat down on the living chair in the living room and began to eat my meal.

"Hey, Sakura-nee(2)." Daisuke turned to me. "How come Sasuke-san didn't sleepover?"

"Because he's a boy and boys usually don't sleep over girls' houses." I could hear Tenten and Hinata giggling.

"But I sleep over Saki-chan's house all the time!"

"That's because you're little." I leaned over and patted him on the head to emphasize how much smaller than me he was. "When you're older, you'll understand."

Daisuke glared at me. "I'm big, nee-san(2)!"

"Not as big as Sasuke."

"Almost!"

"Yeah. Almost." I honestly couldn't wait until Daisuke was taller than me. I've always wanted an older brother. He'd protect me and defend me. But, hey, I was born first and I can't change that. "So, Hinata, Tenten, did you hear it was going to be, like, 40 degrees today?"

"Yeah, I heard that." Tenten didn't sound too happy.

"Do you guys wanna go to the beach today since it's so hot? I haven't been to the beach in a while, actually."

"Yeah." Hinata nodded. "I'll talk to my father."

"I can't," Tenten said. "I've got field hockey practice. I'm going to die out there in the field." She slouched in her seat as if she could already feel the effects of the heat.

"Can you skip it," I asked. I had forgotten about Tenten playing field hockey. She was a beast at it, too. Actually, she was a beast at pretty much any sport that used a "weapon" of some sorts (tennis, ice hockey, softball, ping pong, you name it).

"No way. Gai-sensei would kill me."

I laughed, thinking about Gai-sensei. He was such a card.

"I wish you could come," I told Tenten, frowning. Hinata agreed.

"You have no idea. Me too," Tenten said.

I got up to put our dishes away. "Well, I'll let the guys know later," I told Hinata, holding out a hand to take her and Tenten's plates. "Just call me after you ask your dad."

Hinata nodded.

.ZOMG.

After Tenten and Hinata left, I took a shower, got dressed in everyday clothes and sat down at the computer in our living room. I didn't have my own computer, but I used this one the most. My mom rarely used the computer because she didn't really know how, my dad had his own computer, and Daisuke used it occasionally to play a PC game or to go on the _Cartoon Network _or _Nickelodeon_ websites to play games.

I logged into my _Facebook_ and had a ton of updates and alerts because I hadn't been on in a while. I had a friend request from Rock Lee which I accepted, although I did not want to, one from Sasuke, which I also accepted (looked like he didn't _hate_ me, at least), and a request from a kid named only Sai. I had never met him before so I clicked on his link to his profile to get more info on him. The first thing I noticed was that he had written that he was going to be transferring into my school pretty soon. I found that interesting. I decided to add him because he was pretty nice looking (reminded me of Sasuke), although his picture was hand-drawn (a self-portrait, it seemed).

I started up a new message and added the Tree Kids (minus Tenten) and Sasuke to the "To" section. I wrote in the message body about how I wanted to get people together and go to the beach because it was going to be so hot and I asked if anyone knew any not-so-well known beaches because the one we normally went to was going to be super packed. I wrote down what times sounded good to me and that people with cars should be willing to pick up people without rides. I also added that I was going to send everyone a text message in case they didn't get the message in time. I sent that message, logged out, and started sending out the text messages.

Hinata replied with a text message a minute or two after I sent them out:

Sorry sakura. My dad said i can't go  
because itll be too hot and all

Ugh.

And for the rest of the morning I got similar text messages.

Chouji:

Goin to a cookout w my family  
and shika says hes not going either

Kiba:

I got a doc apt maybe i can catch  
up later tho

I got a _Facebook _message from Shino:

no way. it's too hot to go out.  
sorry.

A somewhat good text from Naruto:

Hell ya! Ill be there i duno n e  
kool beaches tho an i wont go  
if that bastards goin

And a good text from Sasuke:

Yeah. I'll go. There's a beach on  
my compound on my side of the  
lake. Call me.

Not the most exciting text message ever, but I loved the fact that it didn't seem Sasuke completely hated me. The second after I read the text, I called Sasuke.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hey, Sasuke." I continued, "So it seems like it's just gonna be you, me, and Naruto because no one else can go, but Naruto did say that he won't go if you go, so if you still want to go..."

"Whatever."

"Yeah..."

"So I'll come pick you up at two?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll bring food. Can you bring drinks?"

"Yeah."

"All right. I'll call Naruto."

"Hn."

"'Kay. See you soon!"

"Bye."

Awkward? No way!

Sarcasm off.

.ZOMG.

"I can't believe this! Why is the bastard coming?! I should have just stayed home! This is gonna suck! Sasuke's gonna ruin everything! This sucks balls! Officially the worst beach trip ever! Sasuke didn't even bring good soda! Sakura-chan, you better have ramen. Man, Sasuke is the worst. I'm piss—"

I turned around in my seat. "Naruto. Shut up. Please."

"I'm only going to see you in a bikini, Sakura-chan. I hope you know that."

"Fine. Just please be quiet."

I glanced at Sasuke. He looked like he was about to pull the car over, get out of the car, open the back door, pull Naruto out by his pant waist (Naruto wasn't wearing a shirt), put Naruto's head in front of one of the back tires, get back in the car, and drive away as fast as he could.

I had told Naruto earlier when I called him that it was just going to be me and Sasuke if he didn't go and Naruto believed that was unacceptable so he decided to go despite what he said in his text message. Sasuke picked me up first and then I directed him to Naruto's house. I was excited for our little beach trip despite the fact that I wanted to punch Naruto.

Konoha is way far away from the ocean, but we have a big lake that everyone swims on. The Uchiha Compound is along a sizable amount of this lake so I wasn't surprised that Sasuke said he knew of a beach on his territory. I couldn't help but wonder if this was a beach that Sasuke swam off of when he was little. I was super excited to see the beach.

When we entered the gate to the Uchiha Compound, Naruto leaned forward between the driver and passenger seats. "Hey, you live here, Sasuke?"

"Yes," Sasuke answered without looking at Naruto. "I _am_ an Uchiha and this_ is_ the Uchiha Compound."

Naruto growled. "You're a bitch, Sasuke."

"I thought I was a bastard."

"Fuck you."

Sasuke smirked.

Sasuke parked the car on the left side of the road, his house not too far away on the right. To our left down a small hill was the beach. It was pretty big for a secluded beach. There were trees and bushes to either side of the beach and a long wooden dock running right from the road to the water. I tried to imagine chibi!Sasuke and his father fishing off the dock. That was tough.

As soon as I opened the door, the heat that was absent in the air conditioned car beat on my body. I could already feel moisture forming on my forehead. I grabbed my large beach bag, a cute wicker bag with dolphins painted on one side, and the cooler bag thing I borrowed from my mom to put our food in and headed over to Sasuke's side of the car.

"MAN! It is _so_ hot!" Naruto watched Sasuke reach into the trunk and grab a mini cooler and a bottle of sun block. "Hurry up, you bastard! I'm so hot! I want to swim!"

Naruto and I followed Sasuke down a set of stone stairs built into the small cliff and we stepped across the yellow sand. Sasuke had told me in the car that he had that sand delivered here, which made sense. I don't remember any beaches on lakes with sand this soft. The sand burned our toes and I was truly glad that I was wearing flip-flops.

We stopped several meters away from the water and set our stuff down. I pulled my beach towel and a beach blanket out of my bag and lay them both out neatly on the sand. Sasuke removed his T-shirt, a process which I inspected thoroughly. He raised an eyebrow at me, making me realize that I was staring. I turned around and started pulling off my T-shirt. Sasuke abruptly stepped in front of me, which caused me to stop, my shirt half off.

I opened my mouth. "Wha–?"

"Naruto was staring."

"You're a douche bag!" Naruto yelled. I peeked around Sasuke and noticed Naruto run for the water.

My T-shirt and shorts off, Sasuke stared at me for a moment. Feeling self-conscious, I crossed my arms over my chest and dug my toes in the hot sand. "What?"

He handed me the bottle of sunscreen that he had be applying to himself.

"Oh, thanks." Us fair skinned ones must stick together, Naruto being much tanner than us. I popped the top and started rubbing the lotion on my arms and navel.

Sasuke gave me and "WTF?" look and I stopped. He turned around and pointed over his shoulder at his back.

"Oh!" I laughed. "Well, sit down so I can reach better."

Sasuke followed my directions and I got down on my knees behind him. I started applying the sunscreen to his back. I loved the feel of his muscles under my fingers. I stopped for a second when I felt a small cramp in my stomach. I held onto it until the pain went away, which was a few seconds later and finished my job. I figured I was just hungry.

Startling me, Sasuke swiftly spun around and settled his legs on either side of me. I couldn't help blushing at the position I was in. He was expressionless, but I noticed a new emotion in his eyes when he looked at me.

"Turn," Sasuke commanded, taking the bottle away from me.

I did and sat on the heels of my feet, feeling very small. I shivered when Sasuke started rubbing the lotion into my back. He had a way of working with his hands that made me want him to touch me everywhere.

I sucked in my breath when Sasuke started rubbing lotion on the sides of my stomach. I didn't even think of putting sunscreen on Sasuke there. He came to a gradual stop and his hands rested on my hips. Then he ran his hands slowly across my belly. My stomach flipped. Hugging me now, he put his forehead on my shoulder.

He nuzzled my neck. "Sakura..."

I was under his spell. My eyes closed.

"Forget about Neji."

I opened my eyes, breaking the spell. "I can't. I still really like him."

"Tch." Sasuke became very stiff before letting go of me and getting up. He walked around me and headed for the lake where the head of Naruto was bobbing up and down.

I sighed, following suit. Sasuke had changed. Now, it was like he really cared about me. He didn't want Neji to hurt me, I thought, and I liked this new side to him. Either that or Sasuke liked me, but that was hilariously impossible.

About a meter away from the water, I felt a cramp again. I held onto my stomach.

"Sakura-chan! Come on!" Naruto was waving an arm up at me. He and Sasuke had swum pretty far out. Where they were had to be over my head.

I walked into the water, slowly getting used to the temperature, and swam toward Naruto and Sasuke. I was right. By the time I reached them, I was wading and my feet could not touch the bottom.

"Guys, do you think we could go a little shallower," I asked, slightly out of breath.

"All right!" Naruto suddenly sank in the water. I looked around for him until I was shot out of the water, sitting on his shoulders.

I screamed. "Naruto! Put me down! Put me down now!" I was gripping his head like I was going to die.

"Okay, okay! Just hold on!" Naruto began walking toward the shore. When the water was up to about his chest he stopped.

"Put me down now!"

Naruto put his head back to look up at me. "You don't like it up there," he asked, grinning at me.

"Sasuke," I screeched, "help me!"

Sasuke huffed and took the hands I was holding out. He lost hold of me when Naruto stepped back.

"Hey! I'm not going to hurt her," he said defensively. "I'll put her down in a second."

Sasuke took my hands again, looking only at me. "Just let her go."

"I said I would!"

"Okay. Then, do it."

"I will!"

"Put her down."

"I never said I wasn't going to!"

"Put her down."

"I will!"

"Then, do it."

"Why do think I won't do it?!"

"Because you aren't."

"I will!"

"Then, do it."

"I said I would!"

"Fine." Sasuke let go of my hands and I yelled a little. Instead, he took me by the waist and lifted me off of Naruto like a toy on a high shelf. He set me down in the water in front of him.

"Stop being such a douche, Sasuke," Naruto yelled, his eyes flashing.

"Tch." Sasuke gently pushed me to the side so he could look at Naruto. "Stop touching my girlfriend."

"Well, she's my best friend!"

"Hey," I yelled. "Stop it!" I turned and hugged Sasuke and then I hugged Naruto. "See? I love both of you. Now, let's go eat." I was feeling a bit nauseous and was hoping food would help.

Sasuke and Naruto followed me out of the water where our wet feet kept the sand from scorching us. I sat down on the blanket, grabbing my towel and wrapping it around myself. Sasuke sat beside me and Naruto sat across from us. The two boys glared at each other until I handed them both a plate of food.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan," Naruto yelled, showing off a giddy smile.

Sasuke put his hand on the small of my back as he reached across me to get the plastic bag of soda cans he had brought. He opened the bag in the middle of us and grabbed and Coke. I took a Sprite and Naruto reluctantly took the other Sprite, not finding the type of soda he wanted. Sasuke gripped Naruto's wrist before Naruto could set the can down.

Naruto snarled at Sasuke. "What?"

"I bought those for Sakura."

Naruto ripped his hand away from Sasuke. He put the can back in the bag and took a water bottle instead. I began to wonder if I could ever hang out with just Sasuke and Naruto again.

Chewing his first bite of the potato salad I had made, Naruto's blue eyes grew wide. "Sakura-chan… This is so good!" He started shoveling the salad into his mouth.

I blushed and fidgeted a little. "Well, my mom helped me make it…"

Sasuke, who hadn't tried the potato salad yet, took a forkful. I watched him chew and his face stayed blank. "Sakura, will you marry me?"

"Wha—"

"What?" Sasuke said quickly after me, giving me an innocent look.

I looked away, a little scared, and continued eating my food.

When I brought out the cookies I made from scratch and Naruto took a bit out of one, he started crying. "Sakura-chan… I never knew you were so good at cooking!"

Sasuke was holding a second cookie outside of his mouth, ready to stick it in when he finished his first. "These are delicious," he said the moment before taking a bite of his new cookie.

Again, I blushed. "Guys, these really aren't that good."

"Yes, they are," the two enemies said in unison.

I was embarrassed so I decided to go back in the water. Screw the Wait 30 Minutes After You Eat rule. I got up, put my towel aside, and walked toward the lake.

"Sakura-chaaan!" Naruto called.

I stopped. "What?"

"Can we have the rest of these?!" Naruto was holding up the container of cookies.

I waved a hand at them. "Whatever." I turned back to the water when Naruto called me again.

"What?!"

The look on Naruto's face was pure terror. He was pointing at me and I started looking around me because I thought Naruto was pointing out some rabid animal or something.

"Sakura-chan… You're bleeding!"

I looked down at myself and noticed the trail of red liquid running down my inner thigh.

Holy crap…

"SAKURA, YOU'RE DYING," Naruto screamed.

Sasuke dropped his plate and ran full-force at me. I put my hands out to stop him. "No. Wait!"

He scooped me off the ground and started walking quickly back to the little picnic spot. As we got close, Naruto told us he'd call the emergency number.

"No. I'll take her to the emergency room," Sasuke said. "It'll be faster."

I tried to pull Sasuke's arm around my leg away. "Stop! Listen to me!"

Sasuke stopped. He looked down at me with a confused face, one eyebrow raised. He looked so cute, even though he was so stupid.

"Put me down," I ordered.

He did and Naruto rushed over.

I sighed. "I just got my period!" I could feel my entire face turn red.

The two boys stared at me.

"My period," I repeated. "The menstrual cycle?"

There was no change in expression on their faces.

"This is supposed to happen!"

Sasuke continued to stare at me, but Naruto put at hand to his chin, probably looking at the blood on my leg. "So, are you going to die?"

"No!" I clenched my fists when they still looked confused. And then I realized, of course! These two boys had no sisters, didn't grow up with a mother for long (Naruto, not at all), our health/sex education at school was kind of terrible, Sasuke didn't watch much TV, and Naruto was just an idiot. Of course they didn't really know what I was talking about.

I held out my hands. "This happens to girls my age and older every month. This is perfectly normal." I could feel my face burning.

"You mean, this—" Sasuke's hand motioned up and down my legs. "—happens to you every month?"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

"This blood lines my uterus—the weird place where the baby grows," I added when Naruto's face grew more confused, "and the blood just sits there waiting for a fertilized egg to attach to it, but when that doesn't happen, the body gets rid of the now old blood. That's why girls can tell if their pregnant after sex if they don't get their period when they're supposed to."

Naruto's jaw dropped and Sasuke looked paler than usual.

Naruto pointed to my lower region. "So you mean you're bleeding out of your—"

"Yes, I am!" I marched away from them and hastily threw my beach towel around myself. And then I just about peed myself when two figures popped out of the wooded area to the left of us.

"What's going on, hm? Things got pretty loud…" the guy with long blond hair and blue eyes asked. He looked a whole ton like Ino, I won't lie. The other guy, a boy who looked young, probably our age, with red hair and a very feminine face, wouldn't stop staring at me.

"Hey, you!" Naruto pointed right at the red headed boy. "Stop staring at her!"

The blonde one laughed. When he turned a little to look at Naruto I noticed that he had only one blue eye and his long side bangs hid a strange cyborg-looking eye. "The first one to start yelling at you… You must be Naruto-kun, hm. Itachi's pretty good describing people," he said to his partner now.

I shivered at the mention of Itachi's name. So these two creepers must be part of the gang Itachi's in, I thought.

I noticed Sasuke tense up. "Deidara, Sasori…what are you doing here?"

"Sakura-chan," the red-headed one spoke for the first time. How did that creeper know my name? Probably the same way the blond one knew Naruto: Itachi. But Itachi had never met Naruto, right? "There is blood running down your leg," he continued.

How could that have been any more embarrassing?

Naruto grinned. "Don't worry! She just has her period. She's not gonna die or anything."

HOLY CRAP. I hated Naruto so much at the moment. Sasuke must have noticed my embarrassment and wrapped an arm around me.

"What are you doing here," Sasuke asked again, much for forcefully this time.

"We were waiting for Itachi, hm," the blonde one said.

"I hate waiting," the red-head interjected.

"And we got bored so we decided to look around. Then we heard yelling and came to see what was going on…hm."

"Don't come back here." Sasuke turned me away from them and lead me swiftly toward the stone stairs, Naruto following. Sasuke didn't even wait for the two men to leave. It was like he didn't even expect them to. I guess Sasuke wasn't really as lonely as I thought with all these Akatsuki members running around his house.

I stopped for a moment to pick up my beach bag. I knew I had a pad (I won't lie, tampons are scary) in there for a just-in-case occasion and this was a perfect one.

Sasuke took us to his room. I didn't actually go in until later because Sasuke directed me to his bathroom where I took a shower and got dressed in my everyday clothes. His room was almost exactly how I imagined it. Clean as a monk's dormitory, nothing on the off-white walls, the comforter on the bed was a dull blue color, a large window showing a scene of a large grassy meadow with a few old Uchiha houses in the distance. There was nothing psychical in the room to show that it was his (except for a lone T-shirt on the floor, which he grabbed on the way in), but it smelled like him, like midnight.

I first went to the window to look outside where Sasuke joined me. The long curtains were open, resting on either side of the window and Sasuke idly fingered one of them.

He pointed to a building on the right. "That's where my grandmother and grandfather lived." He pointed to another building. "And my aunt and her six kids lived there. She never her kids play with me."

I looked at Sasuke. He didn't return the look.

"I think she thought I was a problem child or something, like I was under the influence of Itachi, which was strange because everyone thought Itachi was a prodigy and an honor to the Uchihas. Our aunt must have seen through his facade."

Sasuke was tense now, everything tight. I held his fisted left hand and opened it so that I could twine my fingers with his. I didn't know what to say. Looking at me now, Sasuke looked more torn. Even when he told me about his mom and dad in the hotel room he didn't look like this. He turned his body to face me, getting closer, and then stopped. He tore his hand away from me in a swift, smooth motion and left the room.

I sat down on Sasuke's queen sized bed with deep sigh. Naruto had squatted in front of Sasuke's bookshelf and was looking at the various books Sasuke had collected.

"Sasuke's been acting weird and I don't know what's wrong," I confided to Naruto.

Naruto didn't turn away from the books. He replied in a bored tone, "Have you ever thought that the Bastard was in love with you?" The way Naruto called Sasuke 'Bastard,' it was like Bastard was Naruto's new name for Sasuke. You know, kind of like _the Batman_.

"He's not in love with me." I pulled back the covers on Sasuke's bed so that I could rest my head on the pillow. It smelled just like him.

Naruto turned now to look at me. "Yeah, he is. I can tell by the way he looks at you."

I was blushing now. "What do you know about love?"

Naruto simply raised an eyebrow at me and returned to book browsing.

.ZOMG.

Naruto, Sasuke, and I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on his bed, watching TV on the large plasma flat screen that was set up on the wall opposite the bed. Sasuke wouldn't let us out of his room for fear of more Akatsuki members roaming around the house. He went down and got a bunch of snacks for us, so we were satisfied. At least I was until Naruto and Sasuke began watching soccer.

"Sasuke," I began, "you used to be the star soccer player. How come you don't play anymore?"

Sasuke's eyes never left the TV. "I don't have time."

"Oh."

Sasuke and Naruto didn't say anything more to me than that. And on the commercials, they argued with each other about different soccer stuff that I didn't understand. Eventually, I pulled that magazine out of my beach bag. I figured it would be easier to analyze with Sasuke right there with me.

I had marked off the page where the Medical College's advertisement was and opened straight to it. Looking between the picture and Sasuke once, I knew this guy in the picture was him.

I shoved the open magazine in Sasuke's face. "I know this is you! Don't lie to me! Is this you?!"

Sasuke grabbed the magazine out of my hands. He was pissed. "_Don't…_put things in my face." And at that moment, I feared for my life.

* * *

Footnotes:  
1 - "between 37 and 40 degrees" - This is Celsius. In Fahrenheit, the temperatures are between about 98.6 degrees and 104 degrees.

2 - "Sakura-nee" / "nee-san" - I forgot about this honorific. "Nee" means sister and "nee-san" is another way of saying just "sister."

.ZOMG.

A.N: Hey.

I believe a Krabby Patties beating is in order for the wait. No, not the delectable sandwich, me.

I'm implementing this new thing that I stole from TwilightSeriesTheories' podcasts: **News and Snooze**. News will be important stuff that you should read, like explanations, pic links, sequel info, etc. Snooze will be all that other crap about my life that none of you guys care about and you can skip over. You should totally read the Snooze though because you'll miss out. And because you like me.

News: I thoroughly apologize for the wait. I wanted to post two chapters at once to make up for this, but I didn't finish an extra chapter so I couldn't. Plus, I wanted to get this out as soon as possible. I have good excuses for the wait though, one of them being that another story I'm currently writing is going to be **published as a manga **so I've been working on that. It's actually the same plot as "Faint" that story I told you about last chapter, but the characters in the manga will be the original characters from when I was writing the story, not Sasuke and Sakura. I'm excited!

I HAVE DECIDED TO MAKE A **SEQUEL**! I've got a really good idea so I'm really excited to start writing it. So that means I have a definite ending for this story and you may not like it. I'm not sure.

The **Homecoming Dance** is coming in the chapter after next. I've already started writing it! But it was the chapter I couldn't finish as aforementioned. And then there may be one more chapter after that but a definite epilogue. So, that's, what? three to four chapters left in this story? Oh boy.

Snooze: I have a **Twitter **account. I actually made it a while ago so I could get quick updates about the _New Moon_ movie when it was in production and the _Twilight_ fandom in general. My account is **Krabby_Patties**. I know, right?! How'd I snag that one?! I've tweeted like twice because almost no one is following me at the moment, no one had a reason to. But I figured I'd put my account to good use and I will post updates about this story and maybe a few lines from future chapters when I can. It sounded like a good idea to me… Tweet me so I can say hi back!

Has anyone seen _**New Moon**_? I'd love to hear what you thought of it. Personally, I loved it. I wish the whole break up scene was sad enough to make me cry though. I was ready to cry. ='D

I have decided that _**Maximum Ride**_** fanfiction** are some of the best fanfics I've EVER read. If anyone wants to read a good _Maximum Ride_ fanfiction, I will totally give you a couple links. On the topic, have you heard Catherine Hardwicke is directing the _MR_ movie? =[

I'm not going to ask you to review because I trust that you will. Thanks.

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its characters or plot lines. Naruto is copyrighted 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto. I also do not own Facebook, which is copyrighted 2009.

* * *

Chapter 19 Preview:

Let the World Crash, Love Can Take It

"I waited for you," he said, taking me along with him to our study class, my hand still in his.

"What? Where?"

He gave me an almost patronizing look. "Just outside your class. Sakura, I was two classrooms down from you. AP French. Remember?"

I laughed. "Oh, right. I forgot. You and the other four girls in your class are freakin' French geniuses."

"Don't be jealous," he said, looking forward, chin risen. Honestly, I loved Sasuke's pride.

_Edited 12.05.09_


	19. Let the World Crash, Love can Take It

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 19: Let the World Crash, Love can Take It

Sasuke tossed the magazine onto Naruto's lap and Naruto returned the magazine by throwing it at Sasuke face.

"Don't throw crap at me," Naruto yelled, glaring at Sasuke.

Sasuke looked murderous. He hurled my poor magazine across the room. The two boys looked like they were ready to throw blows. "Get out of my house," Sasuke said, his voice controlled.

"What?" Naruto said.

And Sasuke lost it. "I said, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" I felt that if Sasuke were a few years younger and less mature, he would have pushed Naruto off the bed.

"FINE!" Naruto jumped off the bed and stormed out of Sasuke's room, slamming the door. I stared at Sasuke, waiting for him to calm down.

"STOP STARING AT ME," he yelled, not looking at me.

I flinched hard and chose to look intently at my hands. What was wrong with Sasuke?

A minute later, my phone rang and I could see that it was Naruto from my caller ID.

"Hello?" I answered.

Naruto sounded kind of breathless. "Sakura-chan! I can't find my way out! Help me! I'm right outside Sasuke's room."

I sighed. "Fine." I hung up and put my bag over my shoulder and grabbed the magazine. "I'll be right back," I said to Sasuke. There was a terribly dark aura radiating off him.

Sure enough, when Naruto heard Sasuke's door open and close, he came out from around the corner. "Sakura-chan!"

I led Naruto back around the corner and down a long hallway.

"Sakura-chan, I hate that guy. Sasuke is the biggest jerk ever. He's arrogant and pompous—"

"Woah!" I laughed a little. "Where'd you learn words like that?!"

"It doesn't matter. Sakura-chan, you need to break up with him." Naruto stopped me and turned me so he could look at me face to face. "I'm serious. He's bad news. I bet he's the type of guy who would hit his girlfriend."

I pulled away from Naruto and glared at him. "He hasn't hit me!"

"Exactly!" I hated the look on Naruto's face at that moment. "See? You said, 'He hasn't hit me,' not, 'He would never hit me.' You know he will."

"I didn't mean that!"

Naruto took my hand. "I know you didn't. But how can you date a guy who hates your best friend, never talks, he's always angry. He's really bad news, Sakura-chan."

I looked away from Naruto and stared at a large, decorative Uchiha red and white fan on the wall. I don't remember ever seeing that in this part of his house, so I figured we were kind of lost.

"Do you even love him?"

I looked back at Naruto. Was I supposed to lie? It had only been a couple weeks. If this was a normal relationship, was I supposed to be in love with Sasuke by now? Or was I supposed to just tell the truth?

"No," I said, "I don't love him." I was pretty sure I didn't love him. If I could still think about Neji the way I did, I wasn't in love with Sasuke, right? Even if I had crazy, exotic dreams about Sasuke and I thought about him a lot when we were apart and I loved it when I touched me, I still couldn't be in love with him, _right_?

Sasuke walked around the corner behind Naruto. Great.

"Sasuke?" I was breathless, like talking to Naruto just then took all my energy. He wouldn't look at me and I knew he had heard what Naruto and I were talking about. He had heard me say that I didn't love him. But, so what, right?

"Sasuke! Show us the hell out of here," Naruto yelled, pointing at Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded and we followed him around the corner he came from. We walked by the open door to Sasuke's room—I guessed we went in a big circle—and down a flight of stairs. Sasuke finally showed us to the front door, opening it for us.

I followed Naruto out the door and hugged him around the neck, expecting to stay with Sasuke a little while longer. "I'll see you later, Nar—" Sasuke slammed the door shut on us. "Or not."

"What. A. Douche," Naruto said.

.ZOMG.

I woke up early the next morning to give myself enough time to walk to school. I figured after the day we had yesterday, Sasuke was not going to pick me up this morning. I was wrong. But since when has Sasuke been entirely predictable?

I opened my door, backpack in hand, and started. Sasuke was leaning against the wall across from my door. He was staring down at the floor and, noticing that the door was open, he raised his eyes to meet mine.

And as soon as our eyes met, he turned away. "Let's go."

Walking to Sasuke's car, I noticed something was off about him. Normally, he had this "pompous and arrogant" (to quote Naruto) way of walking. His usual presence oozed with superiority and high-class. The way he looked at you said, I'm better than you, you know I'm better than you, don't get in my way. But, that day, Sasuke was slouched over, his hands in his pockets, bags under his eyes. He looked so sad, depressed, and vulnerable. If he had worn skinny jeans, an Evanescence T-shirt, and eyeliner, and had styled his black hair into his face, he would have been a perfect emo kid (maybe gauge up his ears a little and dye purple streaks in his hair and he'd have been a scene kid).

But, anyway, I was positive something was bothering Sasuke.

"Sasuke?" I took hold of the crook of his arm just before he stepped off the curb to get to his side of the car. Sasuke merely looked at me with sad eyes. "Is something wrong," I asked. Already guessed his answer? You're probably wrong. I told you already that Sasuke is unpredictable.

Sasuke stared at the ground in a thoughtful way before putting his own hand over mine. "I'm just not feeling well." His hand was freezing.

"_You're impossibly fast and strong. Your skin is pale white and ice cold." _You're totally imagining me saying that, aren't you? Don't worry. Sasuke doesn't sparkle.

"Are you sick," I asked.

Sasuke pulled away from me, mumbling something like "love sick." What did that Jonas Brothers' song have to do with anything?

As soon as Sasuke had started driving up my street, I decided it was time to get down to business. "Okay, Sasuke." I pulled out my magazine, which was now beaten, ripped, and folded in various places. "I promise that this is the _last_ time I will ask you about being a model. But, is this really not you?" I pointed to the Picture.

Sasuke glanced at it quickly and sighed. I watched him open his mouth and then close it. Then he explained. "Yes, Sakura. That is me."

I grinned and couldn't help but say, "I knew it!"

Sasuke grimaced. "When I first started working with that agency—purely business," he added quickly so I wouldn't get the wrong idea, "they asked me to model. Begged me. I thought, what the hell, and tried it out. I hated it." He looked at me for a moment. "I hated the make-up they put on me and the clothes. I hated being told what to do."

"I hated modeling, too," I interjected. "They asked me to model once and it sucked…"

Sasuke nodded and continued. "I asked them to digitally change my eye color, so as not to be recognized by anyone going through the picture portfolio on their computer because they wouldn't delete the photos, and they did change the color.

"They told me they planned on using my pictures in that college advertisement. I told them no, that was not part of the plan. And then they used it anyway. I talked my lawyers about how I never signed a release or anything, but they told me I should just let it go, so as to keep good terms with the agency. It would be—" He paused. "—awkward…to sue the company I would soon own. And you finding the photo, that's exactly what I didn't want happening."

I stared at the Picture while Sasuke spoke. When he finished, I thought I'd give my idea a shot. "Sasuke? Will you smile like this for me?"

Sasuke frowned.

"Pretty please? You have such a pretty smile!"

"'Pretty'?"

"Please, please, please, please, please?"

"No."

"Why not?"

He didn't talk to me for the rest of the ride.

.ZOMG.

Sasuke and I split to attend to our respective lockers, which were only a few lockers apart, being in the same homeroom. Taking longer at mine, Sasuke came over to join me, leaning against the lockers next to mine, arms folded up, looking like that bad boy from one of those old '90s high school movies—

—Until Neji and the pig showed up. Neji stepped in front of Sasuke and the battle began.

"What the hell do you want, Hyuuga?"

"Access to my locker, Uchiha."

Ino sighed dramatically and went off to talk to some girl across the hallway.

Sasuke glared Neji down for a few moments. Then, he stepped around Neji, not breaking eye contact until it was necessary, and stepped to my other side.

Neji opened his locker, grabbed what he needed, and leaned around my open locker door to look at me.

"Hey," he said, smiling.

"Hi, Neji." I looked at him for only a second and then went back to my locker. I could not stop thinking about that phone call.

"You look pretty today," he said. "You should do that with your eyes more often." He was talking about the eyeliner-eye-shadow combo I had put on.

At precisely the same moment, I grinned and Sasuke scowled.

"Thank you!" I slammed my locker and turned to him. But somehow my locker didn't shut and it bounced back at me, hitting the back of my leg hard. "Ow!" I jumped away, bent over, and rubbed the sore spot.

Neji laughed at me and put a hand on my locker door. "Stupid."

"Hey!" I couldn't help, but laugh and blush.

He smirked at me and I knew he had seen my red cheeks. "You have to be gentle with these lockers," he said. "They're ancient." He pushed the door closed like the door to a sleeping baby's room and it clicked shut.

"Oh! Thank you."

Neji smiled and I could have leapt on him and kissed him all over that beautiful face.

"Anytime, dummy."

I laughed again and then felt Neji's hand brush away some hair that had fallen into my face when I was bent over. Sasuke, who I had kind of forgotten about at this point, growled and pulled me toward him and away from Neji by the handles of my tote bag. I gasped, tripping a little, watching the hand that was just touching my face fall to its owner's side.

Ino, who had probably noticed that her boyfriend was putting the moves on another girl, tramped over to us and pulled Neji away by the arm. "C'mon, Neji-poo. Walk me to class!" She looked back over her shoulder to send me a fierce look, like it was my fault Neji had touched me.

I turned to look at Sasuke and he wouldn't look at me. His eyebrows were gently pressed toward each other, his eyes glassy and staring downward, his lips curved in a miserable pout. Sasuke doesn't pout. Sasuke smirks, scowls, bares teeth, frowns, grimaces, leers, sneers, and he even smiles, as seen in the Picture. But Uchiha Sasuke does not pout. Something was definitely wrong with him and, although Sasuke was a brick wall, I needed to figure out what was causing him such turmoil and grief.

.ZOMG.

I didn't say anything to Sasuke while we waited for Kakashi-sensei to show up to class. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because Sasuke was half turned away from me, or maybe because I enjoyed the low murmur of the conversations of my peers. I drew spirals and stick people on a back page of my notebook, sneaking peeks at Sasuke every once in a while to make sure he was still there, make sure he wasn't crying. He honestly looked like it sometimes, like he was going to cry.

Kakashi walked into class, fifteen minutes late. He had no excuse ready and simply sat down at his desk.

"Pass up those essays you had to write," he said in a bored tone. Sometimes I felt like Kakashi hated the subject he was teaching.

I handed my essay to the girl in front of me and, when it seemed Kakashi wasn't going to teach us anything and other kids started talking, I decided I should say something to Sasuke.

"Sasuke. Hey."

He turned to me, expressionless. He seemed okay for the moment.

I grinned, honestly happy. "So, I think Neji was flirting with me earlier," I said low, Neji being in the room.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at me, the pout came back, and he turned away. And then I heard him sigh. Uchiha Sasuke doesn't sigh.

Maybe I should have started the conversation with something safer than that, like the weather.

.ZOMG.

Tenten caught me alone. I had French IV and she had Spanish III so we were in the same section of the school. And in the two minutes we had before class, we talked.

"Sakura, what's wrong with Sasuke?"

So other people were noticing. This wasn't a good thing. I started to worry about Sasuke's badass, ice cold reputation. Don't get me wrong. I wasn't being shallow. I wasn't thinking about how this new, sensitive Sasuke was going to make me look. I was thinking about how Sasuke never shows emotions. Maybe he doesn't try very hard to do keep a poker face, but this change in personality where he's now showing emotion could not have been healthy. Or maybe I was overreacting.

I gave Tenten a sad half-smile. "I don't know. But I'm going to figure it out." And the dance was three days away. Crap.

.ZOMG.

French class was coming to an end. We had just finished reading the last couple pages of _La Symphonie Pastorale _by André Gide, which is a weird book by the way. Some crazy shit goes down in that book. This married pastor guy adopts a blind girl who's like 30 years younger than him and then falls in love with her. She gets surgery so that she can see, but then tries to kill herself because she sees how ugly the world really is. I'm starting to agree with that girl.

Anyway, Neji, who sat behind me, called to me and I turned around to answer him.

He smiled. "Is there a mirror in your pants?"

I started examining my lap. A mirror in my pants? What the hell?

"Because I can see myself in them."

When I saw him grin wider, I started to laugh, blushing. "What the hell, Neji! Where'd you hear that terrible pick-up line?"

He chuckled. "Don't worry about it," he said dismissively. "But, I feel bad that I couldn't hang out the other day. So do you want to hang out soon?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. I wasn't day dreaming, right? "Neji, I have a boyfriend and you have a girlfriend."

He smiled slightly. "But we're still friends, right? We can still hang out."

I nodded, trying to contain my excitement. I spoke carefully and controlled. "Yeah. That would be cool."

"Cool." Neji was getting up now, the bell ringing. "We'll talk next period. I have to go to my locker."

"Oh, okay."

I walked by myself to study, but not for long. I felt a hand catch mine and I turned around to see Sasuke. He looked at me, emotionless. Now, that was my good ol' Sasuke! At least emotionless Sasuke was better than pouty Sasuke and gloomy Sasuke.

"I waited for you," he said, taking me along with him to our study class, my hand still in his. ((A.N: Okay, I promised myself I would never do this ever again, this whole author's note in the middle of the story thing, but I was reading this chapter over and I got to this "I waited for you" line, but when I read it in my head, someone else was saying it. I was thinking _Romeo and Juliet_ first, but I don't think that's it. A song or a poem of some kind, I'm feeling. Or someone with a personality similar to Sasuke's. Anyway, if you know anything that this line "I waited for you" is in, review and tell me…or it's going to bother me forever. Thanks.))

"What? Where?"

He gave me an almost patronizing look. "Just outside your class. Sakura, I was two classrooms down from you. AP French. Remember?"

I laughed. "Oh, right. I forgot. You and the other four girls in your class are freakin' French geniuses."

"Don't be jealous," he said, looking forward, chin risen. Honestly, I loved Sasuke's pride.

"That you excel at French? Of course, I am. I suck. I knew I should have just taken Latin I like everyone else instead of French IV."

Sasuke smirked, squeezing my hand. "No. You're jealous that I sit in a classroom with four girls and a female teacher who are in love with me and because I speak the language of love with them all...class…long…"

Sasuke had swung me out against the wall just outside our study and was leaning into me. I put my hands gracefully around his neck.

I smirked. "Of course, Sasuke. I wish I could sit a classroom, surrounded by five beautiful men, who all speak to me in a language I don't understand."

"Sakura." He put his hands on either side of my face. "_Je t'aime_,_ mais tu aimes __Neji, ce crétin. Je t'aime plus que Neji jamais pu. Je voudrais que tu me laissez t'aime._"

My jaw dropped. It was kind of like Sasuke was speaking to me in gibberish, except that he sounded like a genuine Frenchman. Sasuke could step into Paris, buy a random hobo dinner at some corner restaurant, listen to him tell a story about when things were good, take him to see whatever's playing at the theatre, maybe shoot some pool later at a bar (Do they play pool in France?), call a taxi, drop the hobo off where he found him, and take a plane back here with absolutely no problems, except for maybe making change, being suckish at math and all. Wow, that math comment makes me feel like a terrible person.

I let out some air. "You spoke _way_ too fast. I heard something about Neji loving cretins because I'm letting him go?"

Sasuke laughed heartily. "You wish." He pulled my arms away from his neck and pulled me into the classroom. We took our usual seats in the back of the class.

I saw Neji walk in the room and smiled at him as I pulled out an essay I needed to read for English class. I was about half way through when I saw out of my peripherals Sasuke erasing furiously.

I set my photocopied copies of the essay down. "Sasuke? What are you doing?"

Sasuke slammed his mechanical pencil down. "Fuck math. I hate this class."

I winced and leaned over to see what Sasuke was working on. Sine, cosine, and tangent. Ew.

I helped Sasuke work on his problems and tried to explain as I went along, but Sasuke was having a hard time understanding. ("Why are they teaching us to do something that you can only do on a calculator?" "No, I don't see at all what you just did there." "If I needed to know how long this wall would be, I would get out a fucking meter stick and measure it myself." Who knew Sasuke was so witty?)

By the end of class, we hadn't finished many and I offered to continue to help Sasuke after school at my house in a little tutoring session. He agreed.

.ZOMG.

I convinced Sasuke to come with me to the tree. Naruto and Chouji were battling each other's Pokémon on their Nintendo DSes. Kiba was railing on whoever was losing, yelling out tactics and what was being done wrong. It was kind of hilarious. Sasuke kept a hand on my waist as we watched them and I loved it. Shino and Hinata were talking lowly about something I couldn't hear. Tenten and Shikamaru were talking about the SATs(1) that they were both taking in November, which reminded me that I needed to sign up to take them. I was pretty sure I was going to do well on them. I got most of the daily SAT questions right. I hated those freaking questions, though.

Sasuke leaned over and said to my ear that he wanted to go. I nodded.

"We're going," I announced. "See you guys later."

Tenten, Hinata, Shino, and Shikamaru waved and said their goodbyes, but the videogame nerds didn't even bother. I forgave them though.

We were half way to my house when I came to a realization.

"Sasuke," I gasped. I must have sounded like the breath of life was escaping my body because Sasuke just about pulled over. When I shook my head at him, he swerved back into the line of cars so suddenly that the car behind us beeped one of those long annoying beeps that make you want to put the car in park so you can get out of the car and yell the ears off the beeping perpetrator (take "beeping" in whatever way you want: a swear word or the past participle of the verb beep).

"Sasuke, I just remembered something!"

"What?" Sasuke gave me a sideways glare.

"I forgot to tell you about Neji! In French, he was totally flirting with me. And he asked me to hang out with him!" I turned to Sasuke, grinning wildly. And when Sasuke said nothing, I continued, "And that, along with the flirting you witnessed this morning, makes me think Neji likes me! I think our plan is finally working! When do you think he's going to asking me out?!"

"Never, as long as you are mine."

What the hell? Why did Sasuke sound like a cheesy super-villain talking to his hostage? I didn't even expect Sasuke to say anything. I was ready for silence.

"I'm not _yours_, Sasuke."

There was a short pause before Sasuke said, "I know." It was very soft. And then that depressing look infected his face again.

At my house, we were greeted by my overenthusiastic mother. The moment she saw Sasuke, she touched his face and said that he was blessed because she didn't think anyone else could handle being my boyfriend. Sometimes I wondered if she would ever go way crazier than she is now. I didn't think it was possible.

After changed out of my jeans and into my pink and gray flannel pajama pants, I let Sasuke into my room. I wondered why some girls think it's okay to change in a room with a boy—unless he's gay— in it as long as he's "turned around," but I wasn't falling for it. And then I started to wonder, Why I don't I have any gay friends?!

So, I let Sasuke in and he just stood there for a little bit, messenger bag in hand. I sighed at Sasuke's awkwardness and put my hands on his shoulders.

"Oh, Sasuke." I smiled at him and pushed him toward my bed. I forced him to sit and, keeping my hands on his shoulders, I leaned over him.

He didn't look at me. "Is this the part where youforceyourselfonme and we have filthysex?"

He said it all too fast for me to understand. I said, "What—"

"What?" Sasuke said quickly, now looking at me with wide eyes.

"Never mind." I shook my head and stepped away from Sasuke. "Do you want something to eat?" I was just being polite now.

"No," said Sasuke.

I scoffed. When are teenage boys not hungry? I decided to go and get a bag of potato chips anyway, and sure enough, when they were opened and all, Sasuke ate most of them.

I remember letting Sasuke do the rest of the problems on his own once he started getting the hang of it and lying down, my back hurting from slouching over Sasuke's work while sitting on my bed. I must have fallen asleep because I woke up when I felt Sasuke settle down next to me and put an arm over me, getting close. I was too tired to react and chose to just enjoy spooning with Sasuke.

We both woke up later when my dad must have walked by my open door. Yeah, you tell me what he was doing home early.

"Uchiha! Get off of my daughter!"

I shot up and Sasuke practically flew to the other side of my bed. His notebook and calculator fell off the bed. I rolled my eyes at my dad. I kind of wondered if he was acting overprotective because he thought he should since he'd never acted this way before. Maybe sleeping in the same bed was crossing the line though.

"Daddy, we're wearing clothes." I tugged on my shirt. "It's all right."

My dad pursed his lips and walked out of my room.

I looked over at Sasuke. "Wow. I'm sorry."

He was getting up now and stuffing his notebook and stuff into his messenger bag. When he stood up, he looked at me, putting his bag on. "No, I'm sorry," he said. "You'll probably get in trouble now and it's my fault."

Sasuke apologizing? Nice.

"I'm going to go," he said.

We had no other physical contact as I walked him to the door.

.zOMg.

Footnotes:  
1 – "SATs" – stands for Scholastic Aptitude Tests. For those who don't live in the U.S. or just don't know, pretty much everyone in the U.S. trying to apply to college has to take the SATs (or the ACTs, but that's another story). Most people take the SATs during their junior and senior year of high school and sometimes take it more than once to get the best score they can. I'm sure there are similar or equivalent tests in other countries. You should totally tell me your SAT/ACT horror stories for those who have taken them.

.ZomG.

A.N: I was planning on uploading this chapter today, but let's just say that I uploaded it in honor of the anonymous reviewer nasim's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! And for the record, Evanescence is my absolute favorite band and I liked the _Twilight _movie. So don't think I'm bashing either. And I'm sorry for making Sakura so fail in the subject of Uchiha Sasuke.

NEWS: Text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to the **Haiti Earthquake relief efforts **via The Red Cross. And text "YELE" to 501-501 to donate $5 via ___Yéle_ Haiti. They will show up on your phone bill. OR you can donate online at redcross dot org and yele dot org. And the money will seriously go to The Red Cross or ___Yéle_ Haiti. You're not going to be donating to my candy fund. Google them if you don't believe me. But seriously, HAITI NEEDS YOUR HELP. I've been watching CNN all day long since last week when the earthquake happened. The death toll is up to 200,000. The Haitians have been through sooooooooo much. I'm sure the new _Naruto _book will still be on the shelves next month if you just donate that $10 you were going to buy it with this month. And if you've donated already, I LOVE YOU AND YOU ARE AN AMAZING, SELF-LESS PERSON. EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS. I cannot wait to go down to Haiti and help out. Not sure when that'll be. Maybe over the summer.

NEWS: Next chapter is **the Homecoming Dance**. And there's a cute little scene in that chapter. =D I've already written the epilogue and I've already started the final chapter. I promise to get out the next chapter WICKED SOON. Wannabe Scout's honor.

SNOOZE: I've having a tough time with the sequel. I've already started it...and now I don't know where to go. So the sequel may be released later than I thought. Jeez...

SNOOZE: I'm so obsessed with Dramione fanfiction right now. I don't even know why. I read all the _Harry Potter_ books and I used to be obsessed with them, but I'm not even much of a fan anymore. I do love the movies though. If you know of any good Dramione fics, TELL ME.

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto_ and its characters or plot lines. _Naruto_ is copyrighted 2002 by Masashi Kishimoto. I also do not own _Twilight_ the movie (copyrighted 2009 by Summit Entertainment), the song "Love Sick" by the Jonas Brothers (copyrighted by Hollywood Records. I think. I didn't dare look it up.), Pokémon (copyrighted 2010 by Nintendo/Pokémon), or Nintendo (copyrighted 2010 by Nintendo).

* * *

Chapter 20 Preview:

Hands, Like Secrets, are the Hardest Thing to Keep from You

The moment the song ended, Sasuke was at our sides. He took my arm, sneering at Neji, and pulled me away. I didn't have a chance to tell Neji goodbye. Sasuke let go of my arm and held me very close to his side. He was still seething.

"Calm down, Sasuke." I gently touched his chest.

"I can't. That douche was touching you." And then he said more quietly, like he was talking more to himself, "That douche was fucking touching you."


	20. Hands, Like Secrets, are the Hardest Thi

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Best Review of Chapter 19: **nightDREAMERms: **I let out a loud aggravated curse word that sent every pair of eyes straight towards me. I didn't even have the grace to be embarrassed, I was too pissed. I looked up to meet the instructor's questioning glance and bit out, "I accidentally bubbled all my answers in the wrong place." He just blinked at me, then slowly reiterated, "I'm sorry. But you'll have to just try to erase all your answers and rebubble them when time starts for the 7th section." I nodded resolutely.  
Silence in the room.  
And then, an odd snort met my ears and I turned. It is a quite humbling experience, to see 3 semi-adult boys huddled over their desks, clutching their mouths and stomachs, trying- Truly Trying- not to laugh aloud. It is also an immensely embarrassing one. My anger died out, and I felt my cheeks heat up. I didn't dare look back at them for the rest of the test. Despite their whispered calling and tapping.

A.N: If it helps to remember who's who, Kiba starts with a K (at least in Romanji) and Kanoko starts with a K. The other one is Chouji's. And before you worry, there is no TentenxShikamaru pairing in this story unless you're looking for it. Interpret things whatever way you want.

If you wanted to see what the girls' dresses look like and what Sasuke's tux looks like I put links at the top of my profile. I'll probably move them down to another section of my profile in a couple weeks. All of the girls' dresses came from _Lord and Taylors_ and Sasuke's tux is by Marc Jacobs.

Chapter 20: Hands, Like Secrets, are the Hardest Thing to Keep from You

I practically threw myself down the stairs, high-heeled, black ankle boots in hand. I ran into the living room and stopped so suddenly, I quivered a little like an arrow that had just hit its target.

"Sasuke," I gasped. I couldn't help it. I was so frickin' excited. That night was the Homecoming Dance. _Finally_.

Sasuke stood up from his usual seat on the couch, smirking at me. If, um, sex was personified, it would be Sasuke. I looked over him from his shiny shoes to his perfectly coiffed hair. I pretty much forgot Neji existed, looking at Sasuke.

He was wearing his tux in a more casual way with an all-black studded belt and shiny black high-top sneakers. His dress shirt was striped vertically in white and very light blue and a few buttons were left unfastened from the collar down. The coat had a dark satin interior that matched the satin trim on the black vest. Sasuke could have walked down a runway in that outfit.

"I thought you weren't going to rent a tux," I said, unable to say anything else.

"It was my father's," he said. "It's not like he wears it anymore."

That was a mood killer times 10.

He must have sensed my sudden depression because he asked quickly, "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," I said, feigning a smile, "just let me put my shoes on." I bent over and slipped one foot into the boot. I set that foot down to rest my weight on it and the sudden summation of the extra height and mine made me wobbly. I moved to slip my other foot in the other boot, but I could feel myself falling. Sasuke gripped my upper arms, steadying me. "Whoa," I said, like I was some drunkard. "Thanks."

Sasuke nodded and kept his hold on me, gentler now, while I slipped my other shoe on. I straightened up and looked at Sasuke's face. It was a little strange because the boots gave me an extra inch or two. I had practiced walking in them so I was hoping not be falling over the rest of the night.

There was a flash of light, and Sasuke and I looked away from each other. My mom was standing there with a camera. I groaned.

"I'm sorry, Sakura!" She lowered the camera. "I couldn't resist. You two are _adorable_. You looked like you were going to kiss so I got the camera all ready, but I miscalculated and took a picture too soon."

Sasuke let go of me like I was the bag of marijuana he got caught with, and I gave my mom a dark look.

She gave me a begging look. "I _know_ you said no pictures, but, as I said, I couldn't resist." I specifically asked my mom not to take pictures because how awkward would that be when my future children see the pictures and they're like, "Mom! I didn't know you dated Uchiha Sasuke!" And what am I supposed to say? "No, actually I didn't really. We were fake dating to make Hyuuga Neji jealous." What a great example I'd be setting.

My mom reviewed the picture on the digital camera and squealed. "You too are _so _cute!" She handed me my little black clutch without taking her eyes off the picture. Then walking toward the kitchen, she yelled, "Daisuke! Help mommy print out a picture!"

I facepalmed. "I'm so sorry."

Sasuke put his hand on my wrist, pulling my hand away from my face. "You apologize for your mother too much. It's not your fault."

I sighed. I guessed he was right.

He let my hand go, opened the front door, and held the screen door open for me. And then, at his car, he held my door open for me again, even closed it behind me. This was stuff Sasuke never did before. I wondered if, because I was wearing a dress, he decided to treat me like a lady. Well, it would have been nice to be treated that way all the time. Oh, well.

In the car, I imagined what the dance would look like. I was pretty sure they were doing this in the gym. We didn't rent a venue because this wasn't prom and that would have just made it a lot more expensive per ticket. I was very unsure how they were supposed to fit the whole student body in the gym though. They did limit the tickets sold. But _still_.

.ZOMG.

When we first walked into the gym, a girl was being dragged out by two cops. She was yelling, "I didn't know!" It was a sight to see, but not uncommon. Yeah, typical Konoha dance.

After moving out of the way, Sasuke leaned over and whispered to me, "It looks like that sparkly vampire guy exploded in here."

I giggled. "Edward?"

"Whatever."

The gym was decorated really nice, actually. There were gold streamers and yellow Christmas lights on the closed bleachers. The few long tables were covered in reflective gold table cloths with various dessert items and punch bowls on top. There was some kind of net overhead that gold tinsel was hanging down from and kept a ton of gold helium-filled balloons from. There were more yellow Christmas lights up there that lit up the room. Made sense to have the net, otherwise the balloons would rise to the tall ceiling of the gym and you'd never get those down. And, most impressively, the floor was sprinkled with gold glitter. I considered it impressive because I couldn't figure out how Temari expected to clean all the glitter up. Everyone knows that glitter is the herpes of art supplies. You never get rid of it.

Hinata and Naruto must have spotted us because they came charging over. Naruto had a classic tux on with a light purple dress shirt and looked great, and Hinata looked so pretty with all her hair up on her head in a fancy up-do. Naruto's purple shirt didn't match Hinata's black and white dress, but they still looked great together.

"Sakura! Sasuke," Naruto yelled as Hinata hugged me.

"You look so pretty!" I told Hinata.

"You do, too," she said.

Naruto gave me a big bear hug. "Sakura! You look wicked hot in that dress!"

I gave a pointed look at Hinata, and, luckily, Naruto actually got the message. He put an arm around Hinata's shoulders. "But not as hot as Hinata!" Hinata turned Santa Claus red and passed out into Naruto's arms.

"Hinata," he screamed at her. "Are you okay!? HINATAAA!"

Sasuke practically flew away from the screaming Naruto and I shuffled my feet as fast as I could to follow him. We ran into Tenten, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba and whoever the girls were that Chouji and Kiba brought to the dance. Shikamaru and Chouji were both wearing tuxes without jackets. Shikamaru's dress shirt was white and Chouji's was pink, matching his date's dress. Kiba was wearing a full tux with a white dress shirt. The purple dress looked a lot better on Tenten then than it did at the store in the dressing room. Shino didn't go to the dance. It wasn't his scene.

Tenten and I did the whole hugging and complimenting thing. I turned to the guys and asked where their jackets were.

"Are you guys already that hot," I asked, yelling a little over the loud music.

"You don't wear the full tuxedos to a little dance, Sakura," Chouji said, all-knowingly. "That's for prom."

I gave Sasuke a look that asked, Do you believe them? and he just gave me a blank look.

Naruto and Hinata joined us and we hung out for a little bit, talking about what we were planning to do for Naruto's upcoming birthday and even speculated about our Junior Prom, which was all the way in May. Chouji's date, which we figured out was named Shoko, only talked to tell us about the girl who was arrested earlier.

"Did you guys hear what happened to Aya?"

"Who," Tenten asked.

"That girl who got caught with the alcohol." We shook our heads so she continued. "Yeah, she, like, had a bottle of vodka strapped to her thigh under her dress. Some teacher caught her pulling it out in the bathroom and told the cops on duty or something."

Naruto and Kiba laughed and I figured that if one girl got caught then there must be at least ten other girls with booze on their person somewhere, not counting the guys.

"Speaking of alcohol," Shoko said, "who else was supposed to bring the vodka?"

Kiba's date (Kanoko), who was more talkative, answered by pulling a little bottle or Smirnoff out of her cleavage. She had guts.

Shoko grinned. "All right! Let's go outside!"

Shoko and Kanoko looked at Kiba and Chouji. "Coming," Kanoko asked.

Kiba and Chouji gave us a look that clearly showed that they wanted to go, but I glared at them. I think Tenten did too.

"Nah," Kiba said. "We're good."

"Fine," his date said. "But when I'm buzzed and having fun, don't be jealous."

As soon as they were out of earshot, Kiba and Chouji groaned. "You suck, Sakura," Kiba said, throwing his head back in despair.

"You could have had some, too, Sakura," Chouji said, his eyebrows raised. "Sasuke, wouldn't you have wanted to see Sakura all tipsy?" Chouji jutted a thumb at me, waiting for Sasuke to respond.

Sasuke stared at me like he was imaging me drunk. It couldn't have been good because he smirked.

"Sasuke!" I said, offended.

He threw his hands up defensively and walked away from our group as the others laughed. I didn't follow. Sasuke's a big boy.

"Looks like everyone's losing their dates tonight." Kiba gave me an exaggerated glare.

"Not me!" Tenten hugged Shikamaru, who I think was sleeping standing up this whole time. "I still have mine."

The lazy genius wriggled out of Tenten grip and shuffled off. Tenten, Chouji, Kiba, and I huddled closer. A senior boy from the football team marched by followed by a laughing group of people. He was dripping wet; someone must have pulled a prank on him. Tenten and my jaw dropped when we saw him peel off his dress shirt and was left in only a sleeveless white tee, unintentionally showing off his muscles.

"Did you see that?" I squealed at Tenten.

"Yes! Wet hottie! Allow me to take the rest of his wet clothes off!"

Kiba and Chouji practically dematerialized, leaving Tenten and me alone. We barely noticed as we continued to drool after the wet senior.

"I brought my request for forgiveness…" Sasuke had reappeared. He was carrying a little gold paper plate with three brownies on it. "But it looks like you've already forgotten about me and my love for you." He shrugged, smirking, and lifted a brownie to his mouth as he turned away.

"No," I yelled, reaching out. _Those brownies are_ mine.

Sasuke put the brownie back down and gave me an innocent look. "This brownie is the only thing keeping me from crying after being cheated on."

Tenten laughed and I glared at Sasuke.

"I did not cheat on you. Just give me the brownies." I reached out to take the plate, but Sasuke pulled them out of the way.

His eyes narrowed. "I saw you looking at that guy."

"So what?" I reached out again and Sasuke pulled the plate away.

"You can only look at me that way."

I glared. "Just give me the brownies." I moved for them and Sasuke put the plate high in the air. I stretched my arm up toward the plate and Sasuke moved the plate to his other hand. I growled, putting my hand on his shoulder for leverage, and stretched for the plate again. He moved the plate behind his back and I pushed up against his chest so I stick my arm out behind him and grab the plate. He was too quick and moved the plate up high again and put his other arm around my waist, clutching me close.

"Sasu-_ke_!" I whined.

"Just give her a brownie already, Sasuke-kun!" Tenten thought his was all hilarious and was practically crying from laughing so hard.

Sasuke took a brownie off the plate and stuck it between his front teeth. He moved his face closer to mine. When I glared at him, he pulled me closer. I lifted my arm to pull it out of his teeth, but he lowered his plate-arm and wrapped that around me too so I was trapped and unable to move my arms. I think Tenten thought things were getting a little too mushy and flirty because she left us without saying anything, just gagging.

I bit off a corner off the brownie without much hesitation. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could. I didn't want to draw any more attention to us. But Sasuke was dissatisfied and stuck the brownie in my face again. This time, I took the biggest bite I could with touching his lips. He seemed pleased now because he smirked and, to my surprise, chewed on the rest of the brownie that was in his mouth.

"I thought you didn't like brownies," I said, as he removed his arms from me.

"I don't." He handed me the plate.

"I don't want them," I said, being stubborn on purpose. I glared at him and crossed my arms across my chest, walking toward the dance floor (which was really just an area of the gym where the DJ was set up and everyone was dancing). Sasuke handed the plate to a random girl as she walked by and followed me, wrapping an arm around my waist when he caught up. I later ate about five or six brownies that night, if you were wondering.

We found the Tree Kids at the edge the horde of dancers, looking a little bit awkward. Tenten was bobbing her head to the techno that was playing, Shikamaru was sitting against a wall that was about two feet away, Naruto was party boy-ing Hinata (with clothes on), making her laugh, and Chouji was talking to some kid I recognized from my history class. Shoko, Kanoko, and Kiba were missing.

"Where's Kiba," I asked, yelling over the music which was much louder now that we were closer to the speakers. No one could hear me so I went up to Tenten, asking close to her ear.

She gave me an annoyed look and pointed into the mass of people beside us, filling up the dance floor. It was sickening to look at the couples grinding against each other, a clothed and glitter covered orgy. I squinted my eyes at the crowd, searching for Kiba, and when I found him, I could understand why she was annoyed. Kiba was practically in the middle of the orgy, grinding with his date.

I feigned vomiting and shook my head at Tenten. She laughed and grabbed my hand, pulling me over to Hinata. She took one of Hinata's hands and I took Hinata's other. We started jumping up and down and laughing and having fun in a way that didn't include sex on the dance floor. Naruto slipped under our arms and jumped in the middle of our circle in unison with us, his hands in the air. A few other people, girls and guys, joined our circle and Naruto dragged Hinata into the middle with him to dance with him. Chouji and Sasuke watched us, amused.

We stopped when we got tired and pulled away from each other laughing. The girls and I pulled off our shoes and set them against the wall next to Shikamaru bent body. When I looked to see where Sasuke was, I saw him walking toward me.

He put a hand on my lower back and leaned in to say in my ear, "We'll be right back."

I nodded and watched Sasuke join Naruto, Kiba, and Chouji. They walked toward the tables of food and I wondered what they were up to. Hinata gave me a look that asked what they were doing and I just shrugged.

The guys returned with hands full of mini butter packets like the ones you get in restaurants to butter your bread buns. I tugged on Sasuke's arm, pulling his ear down to me, and asked him what the hell they were doing. He only smirked at me.

Chouji kicked Shikamaru in the side and forced him up. He handed Shikmaru some of the butter and told him the plan, grinning. Even Shikamaru smiled and he and the other guys forced their way into the multitude of people.

I groaned, figuring out what they were doing. But I couldn't help but grin. _Those geniuses._

The guys returned at different times, having made it out of the mob of people at different areas. They were smiling widely. Even Sasuke had half a smile on. They had dropped the butter packets at various areas of the orgy. We watched several people stop grinding for a moment to look down at their feet after stepping in something soft and slippery. And then we saw one group of people collapse near the middle. It seemed like one or two people slipped and, because of the close contact, a bunch of the other people fell with them. It was so dramatic, it almost looked like one area of the gym floor had suddenly collapsed. Everyone was sliding a little bit and there was mild pandemonium. I was a little bit shocked that Kiba had turned his back on his own people.

I fell into Sasuke's arms, dying in laughter. We were all laughing so hard that people were staring. After some tears, I followed Tenten and Hinata to the bathroom to check on our makeup. Don't judge us.

When we returned, we continued our silly dancing. I made Sasuke come with me to the DJ to request a song because I didn't want to go by myself. The dumb DJ didn't even play the song. But when he did play a song from a group that I had gotten everyone into, we sang along at the top of our lungs.

Kiba started a mosh pit when the hardcore song he requested played. Chouji joined in along with a bunch of other guys. Sasuke joined in, too. I never thought of him as much a hardcore fan, but from the way he was moving, I could see that he knew what he was doing. Maybe Sasuke goes to concerts in his free time. Or maybe he just wanted an excuse to hit people. Anyway, the moshing was kind of terrifying. I had never been this close up to a pit. The guys were swinging punches at each other, spinning kicks, and pushing each other out of the way. Some teachers came barreling over to the stop the pit and asked who started this. The guys looked around at each other a little bit.

"I did," Kiba said, raising his hand. He was sweating.

Tsunade-sensei, the principal, grabbed his arm harshly and whispered angrily at him. He nodded, looking a little scared and, when she let him go, he made a walk of shame toward us. Naruto and Chouji patted him on the pack.

"Tsnade kicked me out of the dance," Kiba told us. "She told me she was dangerously close to banning me from prom, but she didn't." He smiled at that.

"You still going to Karin's party tonight," Chouji asked.

"Hell yeah!" They high-fived and Kiba left.

About thirty minutes later, we were back at the food tables and Ino Yamanaka walked angrily by us. Her shoes were in her hand and the tiny blue dress she was noticeably wearing without a bra was dripping in red punch. We saw a couple girls at the other end of the gym laughing a pointing. Looked like I wasn't the only one who hated Ino.

A teacher stopped her to ask what was wrong. "My boyfriend broke up with me just because I told some girl how ugly her dress was! It was the truth," Ino screeched. "Then that bitch dumped a bowl of punch on me!"

"Uh, maybe you should go home," the teacher said.

"I AM!" He blue eyes were electric. "I called my daddy to pick me up and I WAS LEAVING UNTIL YOU STOPPED ME!"

The teacher slowly backed away from her and she continued stomping out of the gym.

I couldn't even laugh. I was in a state of un-. (Just kidding… I love those Charter Bundle commercials.) I was in a state of shock. Neji had apparently broken up with Ino! I'm going to say that again. Neji _broke up _with Ino.

I HAD A CHANCE!

I quickly turned to look at Sasuke, to see if he had heard what I just heard. He was looking away, glaring at the floor.

I held onto his forearm. "Sasuke, what's wrong?"

He didn't answer. He wouldn't even look at me.

.ZOMG.

The dance was slowly coming to the end. We were back on the outskirts of the dance floor when the DJ decided to play slow music. A lot of people left the dance floor at that moment. Tenten went to sit next to Shikamaru against the wall. Chouji didn't have the guts to ask his date to dance (and he didn't even know where she was) so he also sat against the wall a little bit away from Shikamaru and Tenten. Naruto didn't have the guts either. He tugged Hinata over to the punch table to tell her some jokes or something.

Honestly, I was surprised when Sasuke held out his hand to me. I took it and, just like the movies, he led me to the dance floor. The one thing that was different was that we didn't go straight to the middle and no one stopped dancing to watch us. That's lame.

I couldn't look Sasuke in the eye as we rocked back and forth, moving a little. I stared at his chest or at the other dancing couples. We started with my left hand in his right, my right hand on his left shoulder. In the middle of the first song, Sasuke let go of my hand and put his on my back. I put my arm around his neck and laced my fingers together behind his neck. I looked at Sasuke's face now. It was emotionless, of course. As he looked down at me, I hoped he wasn't reading my face.

At the start of the next song, he half-smiled at me and I smiled back. Then I put my head against his shoulder and wrapped my arms tighter around his neck.

After this dance, I realized, Sasuke didn't need to pretend to date me anymore. This whole issue started over this dance and it was almost over.

And then that would be it.

No more rides to school with Sasuke. No more flirting with Sasuke. No more arguing with Sasuke. No more talking to Sasuke. No more holding hands with Sasuke. No more hugging Sasuke. No more touching Sasuke.

_No more touching Sasuke. _

I pressed against Sasuke and held onto him tighter. He responded the way I wanted him to, by holding me tighter, too. We stayed like that for a while. It felt great.

And while Sasuke held me, I told myself that I needed to decide. Sasuke or Neji?

Over the past few weeks, I had really, really, _really_ grown to like Sasuke. I knew things about him that no one else knew. I seriously trusted him.

I stopped there. I wasn't going to ruin this moment. I could decide later.

"Sakura?" It sounded weird to hear Sasuke speak while I was right against his chest. Just saying.

I lifted my head so I could look at him. "Yeah?"

"Will you… Do you think… I was thinking, um…Will you—"

"Hey." The song ended and Neji approached us. He looked really good, like he owned all of Konoha.

"Oh, hi, Neji," I said while smiling. I turned in Sasuke's arms to face Neji and I expected Sasuke to let go of me, but he didn't.

"Sasuke, do you mind if I dance with Sakura? The dance is almost over." He double checked his watch. "This is probably the last song and I wanted to dance with Sakura at least once."

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but I pulled out of his arms. "Why are you asking Sasuke? I can decide for myself." I smiled at Sasuke and then at Neji just to show I wasn't being rude or a super feminist.

Neji gave me a weird look.

I cleared my throat. "What I mean is, yeah, I'll dance with you and I don't think Sasuke will mind."

Sasuke opened his mouth again to say something, but he didn't when he saw me take Neji's hand. Neji led me into the crowd a little bit more (Sasuke and I were on the edge) and put his hands on my waist. I placed my hands on his shoulders and my heart was beating wicked fast. My heart wasn't beating like this when I was dancing with Sasuke.

Neji smiled at me and I turned bright red. I turned my head back to hide my blush and immediately spotted Sasuke. He was sitting in one of the metal folding chairs that were set against the wall, glaring at us. When I met his eyes, I smiled at him and, instead of returning the smile, he bared his teeth and sucked in a large breath.

Neji and I managed to slowly turn in a circle so that I could see barely see Sasuke over Neji's shoulder. I watched a girl shyly approach him and probably asked if he wanted to dance. He practically barked like a dog at her and she jumped, clutching her heart. Then she ran away, terrified.

Soon, another girl stepped in front of him, more daring this time, and bent over him, resting her hands on his thighs, dangerously close to his crotch. That sparked a fire in me and I didn't notice that my jealous fury had tightened my grip on Neji's shoulders. The bitch tried to kiss him, but Sasuke grabbed a fistful of her hair on the back on her head. He whispered something in her ear with malice on his face and pushed her away. That was the last girl to try anything.

I decided to stop watching Sasuke and enjoy my dance with Neji, but you've got to admit that's extremely hard when someone is glaring at you.

"We still need to hang out," Neji started.

I laughed a little. "I know!" Neji and I never go to hang out in the couple days before the dance. He was busy and I was busy helping Sasuke with math. Every time I mentioned calling Neji about hanging out, Sasuke told me that he needed my help with something math related.

"So I broke up with Ino," Neji continued.

"Yeah, I know," I said. "I heard her yelling it at a teacher. She's a psycho, I won't lie."

Neji chuckled. "That's why I broke up with her. I couldn't handle it. When she made fun of some poor freshman girl for really no reason, she crossed the line."

I nodded.

"I'm sorry I've been so distant." Neji smiled sadly at me.

"Me too." I blushed. Not sure why. "I mean, I'm sorry I've been distant, too," I corrected.

Neji grinned. "I was afraid you hated me or something."

"Well, I did." Probably not the best thing to say, but I was flustered. "I was really angry when you started dating Ino. I guess I was just…jealous."

He seemed to like hearing that. (Who wouldn't?) "Jealous? Really?"

I looked away, blushing again. "Yeah."

There was a couple seconds of silence before Neji asked how Sasuke and I were doing.

"We're great." I looked at Sasuke over Neji's shoulder. He was still glaring. I looked at the floor. "He's so good to me. He calls me every night before he goes to sleep to make sure everything's okay with me. And whenever I need to go somewhere, he'll take me. And he holds me like I'm going to break. And he actually talks to me, which is the best. Sometimes, he'll tell me his problems and I love hearing them. Makes me feel like I really mean something to him." When I finished my little speech, I could feel that I was grinning so hard that my cheeks almost hurt. I quickly dropped my smile.

"Oh," was all Neji said. Oh, he was totally jealous. He got over it fast though. "How's the sex," he asked, smirking.

"What?"

"Nevermind. I don't want to know."

"You totally _do_ want to know, you perv!"

We laughed together.

I figured had to add something to make what I was going to have to talk to Sasuke about later make sense. "Actually, Sasuke and I haven't been the same lately."

"Why not," Neji asked.

"It's kinda like what we felt for each other is kind of dying out. It doesn't feel the same anymore. I don't know."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. We might break up soon. It seems inevitable now."

"Oh."

The moment the song ended, Sasuke was at our sides. He took my arm, sneering at Neji, and pulled me away. I didn't have a chance to tell Neji goodbye. Sasuke let go of my arm and held me very close to his side. He was still seething.

"Calm down, Sasuke." I gently touched his chest.

"I can't. That douche was touching you." And then he said more quietly, like he was talking more to himself, "That douche was fucking touching you."

He barely let me go when I bent over to slip my shoes back on. He held onto me while I said goodbye to my friends and while we walked out into the parking lot toward his car. He opened the car door for me and, as he drove me home, he held my hand and drove with just one hand. He wouldn't look at me and I swear I heard him say something very quietly to himself once:

"This is the last time she'll…" That was all I could hear. Was he talking about me?

When we got to my house, Sasuke let go of my hand to turn the car and the head lights off and we sat in silence for a few seconds.

I figured I'd start. "Sasuke… We have to break up…or end the fake-dating thing."

"I know," he said, staring out his window.

"I'm probably going to tell Neji that I had always liked him tomorrow and ask if we could just hang out as friends for a while."

Sasuke nodded.

"Do you think I should tell him the truth, that we were never really going out?"

His no was icy and the temperature inside of the car seemed to drastically lower. I felt that any second, cracking ice would crawl up the windows like a dementor from _Harry Potter_ was around.

"Well," I said kind of awkwardly. I swear I could see my breath. I didn't know what else to say so I opened my door and got out.

Sasuke walked me to my door. Before going inside I turned to him. "We should tell people our break up was mutual and we agreed to be friends. I don't want to have to pretend to mope around and be depressed like I'll never love anyone again."

"You want to get with Neji as soon as possible," he said, staring hard at me.

"Yeah…" I chewed on my lip, thinking. "You shouldn't pick me up tomorrow morning. I can walk. And we probably shouldn't talk to each other for a couple days, even if we agreed to be friends."

We stood in silence for a moment.

"Um, well, Sasuke?" I smiled at him. "Thank you very much for helping me make Neji jealous." I stepped closer and opened my arms to hug him. Before we touched, he turned away and walked swiftly back to his car. I watched him drive away.

I shivered.

.ZOMG.

A.N: I think the title of this chapter actually fits what went on in this chapter very well. So, I don't think this story is funny enough to be under the humor genre. What genre do you think this story should be? Or is humor fine? Another thing: I wrote this chapter during Christmas time. Did you notice? LOL.

NEWS: I got this chapter out on time! Are you excited? I'm not quite sure when I'll have the **next chapter** out. Probably in two weeks. Maybe sooner.

NEWS: Make sure you check out my profile for pictures of the characters' **dresses and tuxes**, if you wanted to.

NEWS: I am an **official beta reader** on Perfect Imagination, the searchable directory of beta readers. I got an 89% on the test and I'm all qualified and stuff. Check out my FanFiction net beta reader profile to see my certificate and stuff. I'd also like to use this space to ask if anyone wants **me to beta read for them**, 'cause I'd be really happy to. Please check out my beta reader profile first because I do not want to read a story about Ginny from _Harry Potter_. I probably wouldn't give you the critique you deserve. ("I know Ginny is the main character in your story, but maybe you could take her out of this scene. And this one. And this one too. Actually, the whole story could do without her.")

SNOOZE: I met Chaske Spencer (Sam from _New Moon_) today! He was wicked nice! He signed my _New Moon _book and the picture I bought of him.

SNOOZE: Americans: remember to text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 and "YELE" to 501-501 to donate $5. Other countries have some other numbers I'm sure.

TO NASIM: Thanks a ton for reading and reviewing! As for Jacob or Edward...as I read the books, I HATED Jacob soooo much. So I was hardcore Team Edward. But, seriously, the movie and Taylor Lautner has changed my opinion of Jacob. I think seeing the love triangle visually has changed my perspective and now I have to say I'm Team Jacob. This turn-over has happened to a lot of people I'm hearing. Taylor just did such a heartwrenchingly good job playing Jacob. Yup, I have read angel puppeteer. She's awesome. Have you heard "Call Me When You're Sober" by Evanescence? Try it out. Hahahahah, you're Alfred story made me laugh so hard. As for my favorite fic...I have a lot, but it might be "I won't Cross These streets til u hold my hand" by AsianOne. That story was AMAZING. The fandom and ship is Naruto: Sasuke/Sakura, if you're wondering. It's rated M, so be warned. Thanks for asking me questions, actually. I enjoyed answering them!! =D

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto_ and its characters or plot lines. _Naruto_ is copyrighted 2002 by Masashi Kishimoto. I also do not own Smirnoff (© 2009 The Smirnoff Co), Charter (© 2010 Charter Communications), or _Harry Potter _(© 2009 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R.).

* * *

Chapter 21 Preview:

We Live a Dying Dream

"Sakura, please." [Sasuke's] voice cracked. "Tell me you don't feel anything for me."

I let go of his arm and backed away. "I can't—"

He grabbed hold of my shoulders, stopping me. "No!" And then he hooked a hand on the back on my neck and set his lips on mine before I had a chance to react. He pushed his lips into mine, hard, like he was trying to express every emotion he felt for me in that one kiss.


	21. We Live a Dying Dream

Funniest Review of Chapter 20: **Alive In Wonderland:** I feel so bad for Sasuke. *heart breaks* I swear. I...*dies*

Funniest Comment Since Chapter 20: **One of my best friends: **(Paraphrased) I heard from a friend that this guy he knew broke up with his girlfriend just before Valentine's Day because he couldn't figure out what to get her, and then a couple days after Valentine's Day, he asked her out again, saying that 'he wanted to get back together.'

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Chapter 21: We Live a Dying Dream

I would tell you that, as soon as I slammed my door shut the night after the dance, I didn't cry, but that would be lying.

.ZOMG.

After I made Sasuke's and my "break-up" official on Facebook (meaning I changed my relationship status from "in a relationship with Uchiha Sasuke" to "is single"), I got twenty three comments from various friends and family saying they were sorry and asking how I was doing. I waited several days until everyone seemed to have said what they need to say, and replied with: "_I'm fine. We're fine. Things just weren't working out between us._"

My email overflowed with a ton of Facebook alerts telling me that people had replied to that with stuff like:

"_No way!_"

"_I'm so sorry!_"

"_But you two were so cute!_"

"_I've never seen Sasuke look at other girls the way he does at you. What could have gone wrong?_"

"_Why the hell did you give up that fine piece of Uchiha ass??!?!?!_"

"_Get back together!_"

"_You're dumb, Sakura._"

I didn't know what to say, so I didn't.

.ZOMG.

My weekend was weird, to say the least. I kept getting concerned phone calls from worried friends, which was thoughtful of them, but it became incredibly annoying after a while. I turned my cell phone off finally and spent the weekend reading whenever my mom wasn't bothering me. She found out about the break-up from my cousin who I was friends with on Facebook and kept coming into my room with ice cream or cookies and asking me to consider getting back together with Sasuke. Jeez.

The Monday after the dance, I woke up and had no appetite. My mom tried to force me to eat something, but I refused.

It was weird walking into school without Sasuke beside me (or should I say, me beside Sasuke, because he kind of was the more impressive person). Even when Sasuke had a business related thing to do, he always picked me up in the morning, walked me to my locker, and then left before homeroom.

People stared at me. I stared at the floor.

I walked into homeroom/first period early because I had no reason to stay out at my locker. I had always managed to find something to talk to Sasuke about while we waited for the homeroom bell to ring, a topic that he would actually dialogue with me about.

I kept my nose in my book while people shuffled in so that I wouldn't be bothered by their concerned looks and stares. God, people just needed to get over it.

Neji took the seat beside me, Sasuke's seat. I didn't notice until he pushed my book down, causing me to look up.

"Hey," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," I said. I wasn't about to say how I was really feeling because I didn't really know. And I wasn't about to tell Neji how I had liked him the whole time I was dating Sasuke (like I told Sasuke I would). I was too afraid.

Neji's lavender eyes sent me a pitiful stare. "Do you want talk about it? I'll listen. I promise." He smiled a little.

I lifted my book back up again and searched for the spot where I left off. "No." What was there to talk about? Sure, I could go ahead and tell Neji the truth, but what would that accomplish. Honesty? Shut up.

The Hyuuga pushed my book down again. "Can you at least answer me this? Did Uchiha hurt you?"

I shook my head then looked away from Neji's concerned eyes. I stared at my book for a while, not reading but thinking.

.ZOMG.

At lunch, we continued to sit at what was originally Sasuke's table, having nowhere else to sit. I ignored my friends' worried glances and ate in silence. Neji joined us for what felt like the first time in the school year. My friends accepted him back into the group like he hadn't ignored them for weeks.

Sasuke hadn't show up to homeroom that day. I didn't see him in the language hallway. He didn't go to our study. I wasn't surprised when he didn't show up in Vertebrate Anatomy or Creative Writing later that day. It was so strange to walk out of my classroom and not see Sasuke standing there waiting for me. It would be something that I definitely had to get used to.

"S-Sakura?"

I looked up at Hinata.

"Are you okay with sitting here? I'm sure we c-can try to find another place t-to sit, if you'd like."

I shook my head, smiling genuinely. "It's all right. Seriously."

Hinata smiled back.

"So, I think we should hang out this afternoon," Neji announced, pretty loudly. He was grinning at me in specific but talking to everyone at the table. "Everyone okay with coming to my house after school? I want to make up for the time I lost dating that bitch." Neji stuck his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of Ino's table.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto cheered.

"With that big ass TV? I'm so there!" Kiba said. He, Chouji, and Naruto slapped high-fives.

Neji looked away from me for a moment to ask Hinata to let Tenten and the other Tree Kids that weren't at our lunch know.

"Sure," she said.

And then he went right back to staring at me.

I blushed under his direct stare. "Stop staring at me." I flailed my hand at him a little.

"Sorry." He looked away but looked back for a few moments, smirking, before starting an intelligent conversation with Shikamaru.

.ZOMG.

Hanging out at the Hyuuga's was so nostalgic. I remembered sitting in Neji's room, in front of his TV, for countless hours while we joked and flirted and talked. Neji and I were _best_ friends. I didn't think anyone knew me better than he did (well, maybe not as well as my mother). I wondered if Neji and I could ever go back to being the best friends that we were. It seemed like Neji was trying, but it would be hard.

It felt really nice to hang out with Neji, though. He smiled at me a lot and he could still make me laugh hysterically. Whenever he spoke to me, he would touch me. Like, he'd put a hand on my hand or on my back or on my knee. And I won't lie, I loved the attention I was getting from him.

While watching Naruto make a fool of himself playing some fighting video game, I finished my Sprite. I stood up, going to Neji's personal fridge and couldn't find a drink in there that I wanted. I figured there might be another Sprite in one of the kitchens.

I stepped out of Neji's room without saying anything. I knew how to get to the kitchens and I knew how to get back. I didn't need to bother anyone.

The kitchen on Neji's floor was dark and empty. This one was rarely used so I was not surprised. There was an island in the center, a few windows on one wall, a balcony. You know, it would have been the perfect set for a horror movie. Can't you just see some creeper creeping in the glass doors of the balcony? Well, I wasn't afraid. I knew this kitchen like my own kitchen.

I opened the fridge and an unopened box full of Sprite was resting on the bottom shelf. I ripped off the end and pulled out a Sprite. I spun around, closing the fridge door with my foot as I opened the can. After taking a sip, I started toward the entrance.

I didn't make it very far when someone jumped up from behind the island. I screamed and dropped the can, ready to book it out of there. I charged for the door, hoping they didn't have a gun, so I could warn Neji and the others. He leapt in front of me, laughing, and I discerned that it was Neji.

I punched him in the chest, smiling. "You suck."

He laughed again. "Hey, hey. You can't beat on the Hyuuga prince, scaredy cat."

I ducked away from him and walked toward the other end of the kitchen, embarrassed. "Shut up." I pulled a dish towel out of a lower cabinet and began cleaning the split soda off the floor.

He bent down beside me, another towel in his hand. "Do you remember when we were playing Hide-and-Seek and you thought you could hide in the corner over there"—he pointed to the corner on the far side of the kitchen—"but I found you in the first two minutes of the game? That had to be the worst kidding spot ever."

I wacked him on the shoulder with my wet towel. "Yeah, well, I thought it was a great spot. No one had ever hidden there before."

"Because it's so obvious!" Neji was laughing pretty hard at me.

I joined in his laughter. "Why the heck were we playing Hide-and-Seek anyway? We were way too old to be playing that, like five years too old."

He shrugged as he stood up, can in hand. "I don't know. I do know that I found you every single time because of your pink hair." He ruffled my hair and I jogged away from him.

"I suggest you stop making fun of me," I said. I was bent over the sink, cleaning my sticky hands.

"Why? What are you going to do about it?"

I spun around and did not expect Neji to be right behind me. He stepped closer and put his hands on the counter top behind me on either side of me.

"I said…" He leaned into me. "What are you going to do about it?"

My eyes found themselves on his lips, but I quickly caught myself and stared at his eyes. "I'll, um… I'll…"

He didn't let me answer. He swiftly descended on me and kissed me. And I'll spare you the details, leaving you with: we made out in his kitchen.

.ZOMG.

The next day at school, Neji took Sasuke's seat in English again. We hadn't talked about our little encounter and I didn't know what I would say anyway. 'Sorry, but I had been waiting to kiss you forever and then we did and whole time I was thinking about Sasuke'? No.

But, don't misunderstand me. That kissing session was awesome. I wanted to do it again as soon as possible.

Neji had barely said hi to me when Sasuke walked into the room. He stopped short when he became aware that Neji was sitting in his seat. I watched his eyes drift toward Neji's empty seat and then they focused on me. Before I could try to figure out what emotion I saw there on his face, he spun and walked out of the classroom.

"I guess Uchiha isn't really over it," I heard someone say behind me.

I didn't see Sasuke for the rest of the day.

The day after that, when Sasuke walked into the English classroom, his seat was unoccupied (Neji hadn't arrived yet), but he sat straight down in Neji's seat near the front with barely a glance at me. I was hurt, really hurt. Was Sasuke avoiding me? And I hated that I felt hurt. I told Sasuke that this was what we needed to do. We weren't supposed to talk to each other for a few days, which was exactly what we were doing. I missed him so much though.

I watched his bent back all class long. I examined his pointy shoulder blades, the tense muscles around them, his wide shoulders, and the many knobs of his vertebrae. Sasuke had an exceptionally sexy back.

After class, I noticed Sasuke grabbing books out of his locker. I couldn't resist the temptation. I shuffled over to him.

"Hey," I said, smiling.

He looked up at me, slammed his locked door shut, and marched away. I clutched my chest as I watched Sasuke walk away. I felt like my heart was being ripped to pieces.

_What have I got myself into?_

.ZOMG.

On the Monday of the next week, I found myself behind Sasuke in one of the lunch lines. I don't think Sasuke had stepped into the cafeteria in a week. He must have eaten with Kakashi-sensei or something. I had seen Sasuke a couple times in the last few days of school, but he'd managed to get away from me every time before I could even open my mouth. I didn't even know why I was so eager to talk to him.

It was actually Hinata, who was in line with me, that noticed the god in front of us. She pointed at his back and, after seeing what she was seeing, I held in a gasp. How could Sasuke get out of this one? He didn't even know I was behind him.

I sucked in a big breath. I was going to ask Sasuke if anything was wrong with him, because he definitely wasn't acting normal. Maybe Itachi and the gang were bothering him or maybe it was like the anniversary of his parents' death. He certainly couldn't have been so miserable about our "break-up."

I stepped beside him and put a hand on his arm. "Sasuke. Hi." He gave him a little innocent smile.

Sasuke's head turned and our eyes met. His mouth opened a little and I swear he had moved closer to me. In a second, he broke eye contact with me and glared at the floor. He ripped his arm away from me.

"D-don't touch me," he hissed. He charged out of the cafeteria.

I looked back at Hinata, astonished. She shrugged and gave me a sympathetic look, and I could see a few guys behind her sniggering.

"Hey, Haruno," one of them said, smirking, "if you're so desperate, I've got a penis too, you know." He thrust his pelvis toward me.

His friends chorused with some "Me too"s and also thrust their pelvises.

I glared. "Oh, shut up and keep your small penises in your pants," I sneered.

"It's longer than Uchiha's," that first guy said. Yeah, there's plenty I could have said to that.

"Maybe," I said, raising my eyebrows, "but length doesn't mean girth. I don't want to be pricked by a pin."

His friends chorused with some "Oh!"s and some "She told you!"s and I turned away from them, satisfied.

.ZOMG.

Now that I was boyfriend-less, Rock Lee approached me anytime he could, asking me to dinner, to the amusement park, to the movies, and even to marry him. If he was nearby, I could see Neji become wicked jealous and always had to interrupt Lee and send him away.

For the rest of the week, Neji and I hung out every day after school. Sometimes he came over my house and sometimes I went to his. We gossiped about Ino often and sometimes he'd prompt me about Sasuke and I couldn't think of anything bad to say about him. Neji wouldn't believe me.

We didn't kiss again. Yes, we flirted copiously, but no kissing. Can't say I was entirely happy with that.

And on Saturday, my dream came true. Neji asked me out.

"So, Sakura," he'd said, holding my hand while we took a walk around his house and grounds, "I know we've both been single for only two weeks, but will you go out with me?"

I stopped suddenly and Neji was little surprised.

He was flustered "I mean, we can wait a few weeks if you want. I just thought I'd ask. What's the worse you can say? No?"

"Yes!" I leapt onto him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck.

He laughed and kissed me sweetly on the lips.

Don't judge us.

.ZOMG.

"I need to talk to you."

That was the first thing I'd heard out of Sasuke in the next two weeks. Yes, I realize Sasuke never talks in the first place, but sometimes he'd let out an insult or yell at someone to get out of his way. Instead, he'd been silent.

Neji and I had stayed behind to talk with Kakashi-sensei and we were leaving, school being over. It looked like Sasuke had waited outside of the classroom for us. Well, for me, more specifically.

I looked up at Neji and then back at Sasuke. Sasuke was staring intently at Neji with narrowed eyes. He didn't look like he was mad at me. Maybe his hate for Neji was so overwhelming that he'd forgotten that he was angry. It seemed plausible to me.

I stepped toward Sasuke, letting go of Neji's hand, expecting Sasuke to just be like, "Sakura, I'm sorry for avoiding you and ignoring you for several weeks now."

Not exactly.

He reached out to take my wrist (I'm guessing) but stopped suddenly. Instead, he made a beckoning motion with his hand, glared at Neji, and walked down the hallway. I followed him. We walked all the way to the opposite end of the hallway and rounded the corner into the last classroom on the right.

"Think we've gotten far enough away from Neji?" I said, smiling at Sasuke. I did not want to give Sasuke a reason to be mean. And if I was murdered, I wanted to be able to say in court that I did not instigate Sasuke in any way.

"No," he said monotonously. I couldn't figure out if he was joking or not.

I sighed. "So, what is it?" And I figured I should add something that would make my testimony sound even better: "Is everything all right?"

He didn't answer. He ran his hand down his face and he almost looked ten years older. He also looked a lot thinner. His cheeks were shallower, his fingers, bonier. His skin was paler, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was limp. This was the first time I'd really looked at him in a long time and he looked sick. Like, "I have a mental illness" sick.

"This is hard for me," he said into his hand. He had one hand resting on the teacher's desk and the other covering his face.

I walked closer. "What is?"

His hand moved to grip the edge of the desk and his knuckles turned dead white. He growled and, I swear to God, if Sasuke suddenly burst out of his clothes and revealed himself as a werewolf, I would not have been shocked. That's how he looked to me.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" I was standing behind the teacher's desk now, next to the chair, and Sasuke was in front of it.

I watched him take several ragged, deep breaths. And then his head shot up to look at me.

"I love you."

"Sasuke, you look really bad. Are you sick? Why are you in school? You should have stayed home. Or you need to see a doctor or something. If you don't want to see a doctor, I'm sure the nurse will see you. Maybe she's still around. You really look terrible, Sasuke. And have you been eating? You look like you lost weight. You haven't suddenly become anorexic, have you? Do you feel okay right now? You look like you might throw-up or—"

Sasuke's fist collided with the top of the desk and I started.

"God damn it, Sakura." He looked like he was going to hit me and cry at the same time. "I just confessed to you."

"Uh." I blinked a couple times. "What?"

"I said, I love you."

"Pardon?"

"I don't know how to make it any blunter." Sasuke walked around the desk to join me on the teacher's side. He took my hands and lifted them a little. I swear there was some kind of electricity flowing between our hands. He was smiling now. But it was one of those smiles that tries to hide the stomach cramps you've got. A pained smile. "Haruno Sakura, I'm in love with you."

I choked, coughing a little. "What?" I pulled away from him, bent over a little. My heart was battling it out with my tonsils. My stomach did a little flip. Uchiha Sasuke was in love with me?

"Seriously, Sakura?" Sasuke sounded disappointed in me now.

"No, I heard you this time." I put down the hand I was holding up at him. "You're in love with me? Why?"

"Well…you're…you're selfless. You're beautiful. You're…" Sasuke groaned, his face tomato red. "Sakura, you know I can't do this."

I think I was hyperventilating a little. "I mean, I'm going out with Neji now. You can't be in love with me."

"Why not?"

"And you haven't even known me for that long."

Sasuke stepped closer to me and smiled, and I could see the a little bit of that modeling!Sasuke in that smile. God, if he had smiled any wider, I think I would have fainted. He put an extremely gentle hand against my cheek. You know, after watching Sasuke almost stab some pencils into a kid's head one time, it was weird to feel him touching me like this.

"When I'm with you," he said, "nothing else in the world exists except for you. And when I think about you, my heart races. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. If that isn't love…"

I took hold of his forearm and pulled his hand away from my face. I couldn't look him in the eyes, because, if I did and saw that everything he just said was the truth, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do what was right. "Sasuke…"

"Sakura, please." His voice cracked. "Tell me you don't feel anything for me."

I let go of his arm and backed away. "I can't—"

He grabbed hold of my shoulders, stopping me. "No!" And then he hooked a hand on the back on my neck and set his lips on mine before I had a chance to react. He pushed his lips into mine, hard, like he was trying to express every emotion he felt for me in that one kiss.

He pulled away and his eyes searched mine. I stared back, awestruck, for a few seconds. Then I shook my head like I was trying to shake off the lingering feeling of Sasuke's lips on mine. I looked to the floor. I couldn't look at Sasuke while rejecting him. This was harder than all the times I rejected Rock Lee and the few other guys who have asked me out. Much harder. I had never felt anything for them.

Sasuke was different. I didn't want to hurt him. He'd been hurt too much already.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." I stared at his shoes. "I don't like you like that. We're just friends. I'm going out with Neji and I'm in love with him."

He didn't say anything and didn't move.

I dared to look up at him. "Okay?" I smiled.

He sort of looked like he was going to cry. "Please, Sakura."

I took several steps away from him. "No, Sasuke."

"Please." He treaded nearer to me. "I _need _you, Sakura."

"No."

He managed to grab my hand. "Please, _please_ give me a chance. I hate seeing you with Neji. I can treat you better than he can. I'll do anything for you."

"No."

Sasuke's eyes filled and he looked like he was about to collapse. "_Please_." I'd never heard anyone beg so convincingly. I felt like every time Sasuke spoke, he was winning me over.

I had to be harsh. "Sasuke, think about the position you're putting me in. I'm already dating someone and you want me to break up with him so we can try _dating_ again. I can't do that. I'm in love with Neji." I stressed the word love pretty hard. "I've been waiting for him forever. I'm sorry, but I can't be with you." I almost didn't believe my own words. "I wish you had told me before I—before Neji asked me out."

He was glaring at me now with immense ferocity, hot tears dripping slowly down his cheeks. He said, "The things I love, I lose.

"First, I lost my parents.

"And now I've lost you."

.ZOMG.

A.N: Oh my pancakes. You hate me. I know it. You hate me. I'm so sorry. I understand completely though. I was reading this Maximum Ride story and in the middle of it, Max and Fang (Max is a girl) split up because Max goes to a new school and this new girl (who I absolutely hated) starts becoming too friendly with Fang. I quit reading that story because I was so bored with it. I promise you though, Sasuke and Sakura will reunite and there will not be some new girl that gets to friendly with Sasuke.

NEWS: Yes, this is the **last chapter**. There is still an epilogue though, so don't remove this from your story alerts yet. I'll put that up wicked soon. And I'm also going to put up a preview of the sequel in the chapter after the epilogue and, once that gets up, that's how you'll know the sequel is up. Or you could add me to your author alerts, whatever you want.

SNOOZE: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief movie is out tomorrow (here in the U.S., at least). I'm SO EXCITED!!! LOGAN LERMAN, HERE I COME!

Happy (early) V-Day!  
Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto_ and its characters or plot lines. _Naruto_ is copyrighted 2002 by Masashi Kishimoto. I also do not own Facebook (© 2010) or Sprite (© 2010 The Coca-Cola Company).

* * *

Epilogue Preview:

'Cause We All End Up in a Tiny Pine Box, A Mighty Small Drop in a Mighty Dark Plot

"I'm just going to say it.

"I love you.

"I love you, Uchiha Sasuke."


	22. Epilogue: 'Cause We All End Up in a Tiny

Funniest Review of Chapter 21: **RushKnob.**: You're right,  
I hate you.  
I would do to you what Sasuke almost did to that kid: stab your head with pencils.  
But I won't.  
I will spare your Internet head and give you one chance, ONE chance to make things right between Sasuke and Sakura.  
You better not mess it up, or your head will look like a bruised apple after I'm done with you.

Beaten Black and Pink  
An AU Sasuke and Sakura Fanfiction  
By Krabby Patties

Epilogue: 'Cause We All End Up in a Tiny Pine Box, A Mighty Small Drop in a Mighty Dark Plot

Message number ten:

"_You have reached the voicemail box of XXXXXXXXXXX. To leave a voice message, press one or just wait for the tone. To send a numeric page, press two now. At the tone please record your voice message. When you are finished recording, please hang up or press pound for more options._ _BEEP._"

"It's Sakura again. Sasuke… Why don't you answer your phone anymore? I've called you so many times in the past week since you've been gone. You didn't suddenly change your number, right? And there isn't some new guy with your number who thinks I'm some creepy stalker, right?

"This isn't fair, Sasuke. You can't just leave. Everyone is worried about you, even Naruto. Kakashi keeps asking if you've heard from me because, apparently, not even _he_ knows where you are. Does anyone know where you are? Does Itachi? I'm about to drive to your house and ask him, which is all locked up by the way. (I checked.)

"Oh my, God. Have you locked yourself inside your house?

"Sasuke… I miss you. And I'm so worried. I know I rejected you that day and I know it hurts because I've been rejected before, but that is _no_ reason to suddenly leave!

"I'm sorry I yelled. It seems like every time I've left you a message, I've yelled at you. I'm just so frustrated and worried.

"Sasuke, I want you to come home. Please. _Please_. I wish you could see me right now. I'm freaking out. All I do now is think and worry. I can't hang out with my friends anymore. I hate making them worry, but I can't be around people right now more than I need to. And all this thinking has made me realize something important.

"Neji keeps telling me that he loves me and that he always has, but I can't seem to return his love anymore. I know why that is now. If you would just call me back I could tell you why I don't love Neji…

"I was wrong! I shouldn't have rejected you! I was wrong…

"I just heard a beep. Does that mean this is done recording or is that, like, the one minute warning? I'm going to keep talking.

"It kills me every time I call you, you don't answer, and I leave a message, so this is the last message I'm leaving you.

"_Please_, Sasuke. It hurts to be without you."

.ZOMG.

Message number eleven:

"_You have reached the voicemail box of XXXXXXXXXXX. To leave a voice message, press one or just wait for the tone. To send a numeric page, press two now. At the tone please record your voice message. When you are finished recording, please hang up or press pound for more options._ _BEEP._"

"I'm just going to say it.

"I love you.

"I love you, Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

A.N: Oh my, God. You hate me even more now. I'm so sorry. And RushKnob., please don't stab my computer head with pencils. *Quivershake* The sequel will make up for this, I hope. =[

NEWS: **THIS IS NOT THE END.** (_Not the kingdom come..._ Sorry, Nightwish lyrics..._hinthint_.) I plan on posting another chapter to this story after this. It's not a REAL chapter. It's just going to be a preview of the sequel, like you know how when you get to the end of a novel, usually the paperback version, they give you a **small preview of the next book**? That's what I plan on doing. And when that chapter goes up, that means the sequel is also up. This is just so you don't have to add me to your Author Alerts is you don't want to. SO, DON'T REMOVE THIS FROM YOUR STORY ALERTS/BOOKMARKS YET!

NEWS: **I put up the show summary** (what I call the summary that's supposed to grab attention, not really tell what the story is about just like the summary to this story) **up on my profile**. It's under the Stories Coming Soon To a Screen Near You section at the bottom. Go check that out. I've decided to call the sequel "As Plain as Black and Pink." First, it was called Wanderlust (I was like...when you search for "Beaten Black and Pink" my story is the only one that comes up, when you search Wanderlust, a ton of stories come up, that sucks), then it was called Rule with an Iron Fan (parody on the cliche "rule with an iron fist") because I wanted the title to be a cliche parody like the title of this story is. Then I called it Tickled Pink and Black (cliche: "tickled pink"), but I thought that was lame.... So I looked up other cliches that included the word black. There's several of them but this was my favorite because I think it fits very well with "Beaten Black and Pink." SO be on the look out for "As Plain as Black and Pink". (Wow..I'm sorry. That was pretty snoozy.)

SNOOZE: I went to the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston. It was pretty much an awesome HP set themed exhibit of over 200 real props and costumes. The conclusion I came to? The camera really does add ten pounds. Those costumes were TINY. How they could fit in them was a wonder to me. They only had two of Draco Malfoy's costumes. I was pissed. I thought there'd be a whole section on Malfoy. Nope. He was like an afterthought. I bought the plastic version of his wand in the gift store though. ;D (PS, did you know that Emma Watson had a crush on Tom Felton? My heart grew a little bit when I heard her say if for herself.)

SNOOZE: My mom's friend brought her little two year old grandchild over and he's pressing buttons on an XBOX 360 controller at the TV while his older brother plays the Hulk game on the PS2. It's so cute and hilarious!! He acutally thinks he's doing stuff. He's like, "Come on, come on!!" I love small children (sometimes).

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی


	23. Preview: As Plain as Black and Pink

As Plain as Black and Pink  
A Naruto FanFiction  
By Krabby Patties

Story Preview

Sasuke was watching the rest of the Lord of the Rings movie while I was in the kitchen, preparing lunch. So when the door rang, I asked him to answer it. After hearing a sharp crack, a grunt of pain, and plenty of yelling, I literally dropped what I was making and ran into the foyer, leaving behind the new mess of a broken plate and lettuce on the floor.

I first noticed Sasuke holding a hand to his nose. Blood dripped from between his fingers. His other hand was clenched and ready to fight, and the look in his eyes was murderous. Then I saw Kiba snarling like a canine and Naruto, knuckles bloody, screaming at Sasuke.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU BROKE IN AND RAPED HER, DIDN'T YOU?" Naruto looked wild.

Sasuke grabbed a fistful of Naruto's shirt with his bloody hand, and his fist drew back to deliver a great blow. Kiba crouched a little, ready to pounce.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Stop!" I grabbed hold of Sasuke's punching arm, ceasing his movement. He turned to look at who was holding him back, baring his teeth.

"Sakura?" Naruto's eyes widened and Kiba straightened.

I ignored Naruto and Kiba when my patient care instincts took over. I put a soothing, cool hand on the side of Sasuke neck. He was flushed with rage. "Hey, hey," I said, like Sasuke was a child. "Let go of Naruto, and I'll fix you up." He didn't immediately listen to me, so I prompted again: "Come on. Let go of Naruto." I used both of my hands to pluck Sasuke's fingers off Naruto, leaving the front of Naruto's shirt in a crumpled, bloodstained mess.

I took Sasuke into the kitchen, telling him to keep his head down. While he stared at the ceramic floor, I pulled the first-aid kit out of the cabinet. With a wet dish towel, I began to clean the blood from his fingers. I noticed Naruto and Kiba start walking into the kitchen from the corner of my eye. With my rage-face on, I spun on them.

I pointed in the direction from which they had just come. "WAIT IN THE LIVING ROOM UNTIL I'M DONE!"

"Jeez," I heard Naruto mumbleas he and Kiba walked into the living room. "She reminds me of that old lady Tsunade-sama."

I knew it would be annoying to look up at Sasuke's nose as I tried to fix it. "All right," I said. "This isn't going to work." I backed up to the countertop. "Help me up." I couldn't put the bloody towel on the counter, and I knew I couldn't get up onto it with just one hand.

Sasuke lifted me by the waist as I jumped a little and pushed with my free hand. Once I settled, I opened my legs and drew him in between them. He looked up at me to continue my cleaning. After being incredibly gentle in removing the blood I could finally assess the condition of Sasuke's nose. He had two red wounds on either side of the bridge, and his nose was very swollen and slightlycrooked. Both of his eyes looked like they were becoming black eyes as well. Naruto got him good. I touched his nose to feel the damage, and he grimaced.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly removing my hand.

He shook his head and urged me to continue.

"Are you having any trouble breathing?" I asked. I knew that if there was any obstruction to his breathing, I'd have to take him to the emergency room as soon as possible

"I'm fine," he said.

"Do you want to go to the emergency room?" I asked. "Because your nose is crooked, and that's not good. I can set it for you, but a doctor should really do it. I'm not even a nurse yet. I'm a certified nursing aid, but that means nothing in relation to your nose."

"Do it," he urged.

"And that's pretty much all I can do. If the break is clean, it will heal okay. I can't tell because it's too swollen. We'll just have to watch it." I prepared myself to do something I had only done once before.

He nodded.

"This is going to hurt."

He nodded.

"A lot."

He nodded, an annoyed scowl beginning to form.

"I mean it." I sighed at Sasuke's be-a-man attitude. I steadied one hand on his nose and the other on the back of his head. "Are you ready?"

He couldn't nod now, so he said, "Yeah."

In a quick movement, I shifted the position of the nose so that it was centered again. I could feel the sickening snap. Sasuke had made a sort of "oof" sound. He was gripping my knee hard, and there were tears in his eyes. You can be the manliest man of them all, but it's hard to keep your eyes from tearing up when the pain is so close to your eyes.

I brushed away a tear that had fallen with my thumb. He blinked a couple times to try to keep the tears under control. I touched his cheek. "You can cry in front of me you know," I said. "I know that hurt."

He shook his head, and I smiled at his clean face. I felt his hand move to my nape. He pulled my head down toward his, and I didn't have time to prepare myself for the contact of his lips. He took complete control, and he angled my head in the way he wanted. I didn't pull away, so he kissed me again. God, I could only think about how I missed his lips from the few times we had kissed ages ago.

I heard the doorbell and Naruto yell, "Don't worry! I got it!" This caused me to realize what I was doing, and I pulled away from Sasuke.

"I can't do this," I said shaking my head, shaking away the sensation from Sasuke's lips. I pushed on his shoulder, and he stepped back so that I could jump down. I went to the sink and tried to get the blood stains out of the cloth.

"Sakura," Sasuke called. His voice told me he wanted me to look at him so I did. He hadn't moved from his spot. He had only turned to face me.

"Do you still love me?" he asked. His expression was solemn.

I opened and closed my mouth once. I wanted to say no, but that was very far from the truth. So I answered, "I don't know."

His expression became a a guarded mask, and he stared at me as if I might change my mind. I wondered what sort of emotions he was feeling to make him put on such a cold façade. I didn't really know what to say.

I turned back to the sink to wash my hands. I muttered a "Sorry."

I saw Sasuke spin and walk out of the kitchen.

* * *

A.N: Yeah. This means the **SEQUEL HAS BEEN PUBLISHED**!

How you can find it:

(1) Go to my profile, scroll to the bottom, and click on As Plain as Black and Pink

(2) If you've added me to your author alerts, check your email for my new story

(3) Search for the story ID which is: 6048851

(4) Do a search at the top of this page for "As Plain as Black and Pink" in the story title search

YES! I LOVE YOU ALL AND I'M GLAD THIS STORY IS OVER AND THE NEW ONE HAS BEGUN! WOOOOT!

**ALSO: **DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SET A BROKEN NOSE ON YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE. It's a terrible, terrible idea. Just go to the emergency room! Figured I had to let you all know.

Thumbing through the pages of my fantasies,  
ЖЯдβБΨ ۹Ǻ†ŧỊ€ی

Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto_ and its characters or plot lines. _Naruto_ is copyrighted 2002 by Masashi Kishimoto.


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